Chainsaws were invented for a purpose.
This post promises to share some of them.
Today, chainsaws are used for cutting of wood but it was not originally designed for wood cutting.
Oh, you are wondering what it was designed for?
We will get to know that and I am sure you will be surprised.
How chainsaws came into existence and why it was invented will thrill you.
I promise!
The invention of the chainsaw is tied or linked to motherhood and medicine.
I am sure that sounds confusing to you.
It has to do with childbirth, surgery, medical procedures, and childbirth medical practice.
Chainsaw was invented to ease the medical practice while delivering babies whose mothers have difficulty in bringing them forth naturally.
The need for the invention of chainsaws arose in 1780 and it was done by two Doctors.
Doctors?
You are surprised, right?
In those days, when childbirth becomes too difficult through the normal childbirth process.
This is particularly when it becomes difficult for the baby to make its way through the pelvic.
To help the mother and the baby, some parts of the obstructing bones and cartilages were removed by the doctor.
This procedure of cutting bones and cartilage to give room for childbirth is known as symphysiotomy.
It was done with a small knife and hand.
This was messy and painful as it was done without giving the woman anesthesia.
Anesthesia is a drug administered to patients to help them reduce the effect of pain on patients when they are going through major surgery.
Imagine the pain the woman would go through.
To make the cutting of the bone and cartilage easy, two Doctors invented the chainsaw.
With the chainsaw, it was a lot easier for the Doctors to cut the bones.
While it was easier for the Doctors, it remains a nightmare for the woman.
This is because the process was done without giving anesthesia to the woman.
For the records, the two Doctors are John Aitken and James Jeffray.
Apart from childbirth and the symphysiotomy procedure, Doctors used the earlier invented saw for other medical operations such as amputations and other bone cutting procedures.
This went on until the medical profession invented better tools for medical operations and procedures and phased them out.
As time goes on, the chainsaw moved from one simple design done in 1780.
At a time, it was observed to be an effective tool for wood cutting and so it became an instrument of wood cutting in those days.
It is worthy of note that the chainsaw we know today was not what was used in those days.
It has been improved over the years to become what we now call chainsaws.
The chainsaw has gone through several modifications to become what it is today.
If you were to compare the first design with what is currently being used, you would appreciate the genius put into it over decades.
I hope you got the surprise I promised earlier.
The next time you see a chainsaw, remember it was an idea of medical doctors that have gone to another field.