Funny you should ask ?? I was asking my self the very same question a few weeks back when I seen a TikTok that said “google, why were chainsaws invented!” So of course I did. Never in a million years would I have guessed this. To find out why, we have to jump in my time machine and go back to the late 1700’s in Scotland.

My Scottish brothers n sisters. I never knew that 2 Scottish men would invent the chainsaw. Not because it was cold and they were tired of swinging an axe but for some other crazy reason. Scotland is on my list of places to visit the beauty just makes my jaw drop. Check out the subscriber section for some beautiful Scotland pictures 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. My Mom’s mom , so my grandma, was born in Glasgow in 1911 and came to Canada as a baby. My dads Grandparents, or my great grandparents, were born in Aberdeen 1870 and came to Canada at some point there after.

Not just Scotland but, world wide when giving birth sometimes babies couldn't make there way out and they would get stuck in the pelvis. A knife was used to remove parts of bone and cartilage to create more space for the baby to make the big reveal or great escape. The doctors would perform a symphysiotomies procedure or removal of bone and cartilage as discribed above with a knife.

This was a standard procedure carried out on pregnant women during birth at the time. Now in present time a caesarian or C-section which is now the modern practice is a much safer way then to try and force the baby through the birthing canal. This symphysiotomies was a slow, painful process often done with zero pain meds as it was done very spur of the moment. So they described it as a messy procedure with a knife? So what would make this go faster and cleaner ?? A CHAINSAW !!

So Dr.John Aitken and Dr.James Jeffray in the early 1780s, invented the chainsaw. Yes you read that right, a knife was too slow and MESSY ? I don’t think of precision when I think of a chainsaw, I think of a large gas powered saw that I use to cut up fallen trees on our property. A saw that I use in framing or demolition work. Not a precision tool used in surgery ????

Well You will be glad to know that the chainsaw used is not the same one or size that we today, use to cut down trees. It was a smaller hand held version that was turned by a hand crank like pictured below.

This picture still doesn’t put me at ease, can you freaking imagine. Even with pain meds or sedation..... good god,

Have I said before that I think women are warriors and amaze, Yes, your god damn right I have. For the health of our ladies, I’m very thankful that the C-section was eventually made a clean enough and safe enough alternative to the chainsaw or pelvic widening procedure.

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