FabSwingers.com forum: I’m yellin' timber

By *ild_oats OP Man
44 weeks ago

the land of saints & sinners

Chainsaws were first invented for childbirth. They were developed in Scotland in the late 18th Century to help aid and speed up the process of symphysiotomy or widening of the pubic cartilage and removal of disease-laden bone during childbirth.

It wasn’t until the start of the 20th Century that we started using chainsaws for woodchopping.

What’s going on here guys….. It’s all over the news.

By *ymAndIcedCoffeeWoman
44 weeks ago

Worcester

A grim reminder that men have historically (and currently - I’m looking at you America) prioritized the child’s life over the mother.

By (user no longer on site)
44 weeks ago

When this was invented, it was for a safer medical procedure than a caesarean (a symphysiotomy), and both have been necessary for saving women from dying during childbirth (as well as babies). In fact the procedure is still practiced in places where people are unlikely to get and/or survive abdominal surgery. Used correctly it's the right intervention, and in the past much more so.

With that said, and as some have alluded to, the symphysiotomy has since become associated with an extreme level of gender-based violence - including women being subjected to the procedure after childbirth (and without their consent) to ensure that they could deliver babies in future more easily. I would strongly recommend reading up on this, as it's absolutely eye-opening and part of our relatively recent history.

Some of the tools surgeons use today are still surprisingly similar to tools you'd find in a workshop, mind!

By *andyfloss2000Woman
44 weeks ago

ashford

Ouch! Was using one in the garden yesterday! Glad I didn't read this till today!