Why were chainsaws originally invented?

Chainsaws are commonly used for cutting trees and branches. There are different types of chainsaws available today, such as gas chainsaws and electric chainsaws, and they come with different features as well. However, chainsaws weren’t initially invented for the purpose of woodcutting.

Unbeknownst to many, the chainsaw was originally intended for use in the medical field, particularly during childbirth. Delivering a baby by cutting the mother’s abdomen has been around since the Bronze Age, but the first documentation of a cesarean section, or c-section, dates back to Ancient Roman times.

There was a Roman law, Lex Caesarea, that ordered babies to be extracted from the mother’s womb if the mother died during labor. However, it had nothing to do with saving the infant’s life. Rather, it was to follow a religious belief that women shouldn’t be buried while pregnant. Later on, the c-section was done only as a last resort to save the infant.

Throughout the years, advancements in procedures allowed the c-section to be more commonly performed, but it was still dangerous. There were certain risks involved in undergoing the surgery, such as blood loss, infections, and even death from shock.

Symphysiotomy and the chainsaw

Symphysiotomy was introduced in the late 16th century as an effort to save the mother and the baby in instances where complications occur during childbirth. The procedure entails surgically dividing the pubic symphysis — the joint between the left and right pubic bones — to widen the pelvis opening and allow the baby to pass through. Symphysiotomy was commonly done in breech births, when the mother is not capable of undergoing a c-section or vaginal birth, obstructed labor, or when the baby is too big to pass through the mother’s pelvis.

In 1785, two Scottish doctors, James Jeffray and John Aitken, invented the chainsaw to aid in symphysiotomies. Before the chainsaw, the procedure was done with a small knife. The operation was bloody and took time to perform. The doctors’ goal was to make the procedure more efficient, but the surgical tool that they created was far from the chainsaw that we know today. Instead, the saw consisted of a serrated chain with handles on both ends so doctors could manually saw through the pelvic bone. Apart from lessening the time it took to do a symphysiotomy, the manual chainsaw also made cuts more precise, thus preventing unnecessary tearing of tissues near the pelvis.

When were chainsaws used on trees?

As the decades passed, medical advancements gave way to safer and more efficient procedures, and symphysiotomies were no longer performed as often. It was in the early 1880s when the chainsaw’s design was modified for woodcutting.

However, the earlier designs were bulky and required two people to operate. It wasn’t until 1926 that Andreas Stihl, a German mechanic, patented the first electric chainsaw, but it weighed more than 100 pounds. In 1950, the first one-man chainsaw was invented, and it’s the design that we are familiar with today.