[Angie10]

Did you know: Chainsaws were first invented for childbirth. The chainsaw was developed in Scotland in the late 18th Century to help the 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! YIKES!!!

Image credit: stephen_23
Via Pixabay

[Netherrealmer]

And if you think about it, there's no anesthesia back then. Someone holds the hands and feet of the patient so they cannot move.no anesthetic and chainsaw. So happy Im a man

[cmoneyspinner]

@Angie10 - Woodchopping is OK. But there are some wackos that used it chop up humans.
Every time somebody says chainsaw I think of the movie "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It wasn't a true story but it was inspired by a true story. But now you have to wonder who is going to be inspired by the movie.

[Jem Smith]

Yep. It's even worse that they weren't the powered kind, they were hand cranked.

It came out of an attitude of prioritising the baby's health at any cost to the mother. Women could survive it, but with lifelong health issues, and it's kind of messed that this was done sometimes without the woman's consent. There are other ways to get out a baby that's stuck without cutting through bones.

--- 06 Jan 2025, 11:36 ---

And if you think about it, there's no anesthesia back then. Someone holds the hands and feet of the patient so they cannot move.no anesthetic and chainsaw. So happy Im a man

There was anestethesia then (opiates, twilight sleep, even just alcohol would be better than nothing)- at least, it existed, although these women probably didn't get any.

to help the widening of the pubic cartilage and removal of disease-laden bone during childbirth

No, the "removal of disease-laden bone" is a separate thing, for cases of things like infection and bone cancer, not something done during childbirth. It childbirth it was just to widen the pelvis.

It's not just a thing from long ago either. There are women still living now who experienced it.

There was an advocacy group called Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SoS) set up in Ireland in 2002 "alleging religiously motivated symphysiotomies were performed without consent and against best medical practice in Republic of Ireland between 1944 and 1987".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphysiotomy_controversy_in_Ireland

[cmoneyspinner]

It's not just a thing from long ago either. There are women still living now who experienced it.

The things people do in the name of religion are even more frightening. They should be arrested and imprisoned. While they are in prison they can talk to their god and ask what went wrong. How come they got locked up for being "faithful" and "righteous"?

[eldavis]

Oh wow, thank God for modern technology right now. I can't imagine the pain the women went through back then.

[Fergal]

There was an advocacy group called Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SoS) set up in Ireland in 2002 "alleging religiously motivated symphysiotomies were performed without consent and against best medical practice in Republic of Ireland between 1944 and 1987".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphysio ... in_Ireland

This is a shocking and sad story in recent Irish history. I knew one woman who was a victim of it, she suffered the effects of it for many years afterwards. She was older than me, and I didn't know her well enough to speak about the hurt and permanent injuries she received from the procedure.

Thankfully the Catholic Church has lost a lot of power in Ireland in recent years and this procedure is no longer practiced. It should not have happened at all and it is distressing to think of what those poor women experienced.

[cmoneyspinner]

It's sickening and terrifying what happens to women in different parts of the world. Women's rights get trampled on so much. Do you know what a blessing it is to be able to bring a life into this world? Do you know that many women are willing to risk their lives to give birth? Some folks may think having a baby is easy. But that 9-month period is fraught with peril and anything could go wrong with the mother and/or child. The last thing a woman needs is someone trampling on their human rights during childbirth.

[Jem Smith]

The last thing a woman needs is someone trampling on their human rights during childbirth.

Yep, this is an issue still in so many places, though often in less dramatic ways than symphysiotomy. More things like pressuring women into interventions to try and speed up labour, not necessarily because it's best for the woman and the baby but because it saves the hospital time and money. For example, women are sometimes given syntocin (a synthetic hormone) to kick start labour or speed it up instead of waiting for it to happen on its own. It can make contractions more intense and painful, which then makes women more likely to choose pain meds, which can increase the chances of needing a c-section. It's called a 'cascade of interventions'.

Another little thing is often in hospitals they will give a woman syntocin immediately after birth to make the placenta come out faster. It makes sense to do that if it hasn't come out after a while (like an hour), but there's no need to have a policy where you stick every woman with a needle immediately after birth when she's just trying to bond with her newborn baby. And then there are nastier things like episiotomy. They are sometimes necessary, but it's messed up that they are sometimes done without consent.

[ptrikha21]

Quite Shocking ! In this age, we cannot imagine how horrific certain things used to be.
It is good that advancements in medical science has helped people, especially women.

--- 12 Jan 2025, 17:13 ---

It's sickening and terrifying what happens to women in different parts of the world. Women's rights get trampled on so much. .... rights during childbirth[/b].

Yes, it is a very tough thing. Yet from what I commonly hear in India and in some ways experienced, often women are the worst enemies of women.
Many women folk treat infertile women with contempt.
And those who just have daughters.
Things are changing but in many places, attitudes are not.

In many cases, Media showcases and in fact glorifies women as Objects of desire.
There are Ads of Men's underwear depicting Women. I wonder why that needs to be done!!

But hopefully things get better for women in the coming times.

[Angie10]

And if you think about it, there's no anesthesia back then. Someone holds the hands and feet of the patient so they cannot move.no anesthetic and chainsaw. So happy Im a man

I know... just crazy!!

--- 12 Jan 2025, 15:35 ---

@Angie10 - Woodchopping is OK. But there are some wackos that used it chop up humans.
Every time somebody says chainsaw I think of the movie "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It wasn't a true story but it was inspired by a true story. But now you have to wonder who is going to be inspired by the movie.

Tragic!! The serial killer Ed Gein was trully a piece of work. I saw the documentary and couldn't believe the realms of evil the human mind can extend to. But then experts said he was the way he was due to his horrendous upbringing.

--- 12 Jan 2025, 15:40 ---

It's not just a thing from long ago either. There are women still living now who experienced it.

There was an advocacy group called Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SoS) set up in Ireland in 2002 "alleging religiously motivated symphysiotomies were performed without consent and against best medical practice in Republic of Ireland between 1944 and 1987".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphysiotomy_controversy_in_Ireland[/quote]

OMG it's shocking in the 21st Century!!!

Regarding the "removal of disease-laden bone"... I stumbled across the article and honestly can't say I know much about the subject. That's what the article said. But whichever way you look at it, it's absolutely shocking.

[Netherrealmer]

Ed Gein is the next killer to have a Netflix show

[Jem Smith]

Ed Gein is the next killer to have a Netflix show

What on Earth does that have to do with the topic?

[cmoneyspinner]

Ed Gein is the next killer to have a Netflix show

What on Earth does that have to do with the topic?

I mentioned a movie that was inspired by Ed Gein. It relates as a side note. LOL.
Netflix does have a thing for serial killers.

[Jem Smith]

Regarding the "removal of disease-laden bone"... I stumbled across the article and honestly can't say I know much about the subject. That's what the article said. But whichever way you look at it, it's absolutely shocking.

The wikipedia article says it was used
" for symphysiotomy and excision of diseased bone, respectively.[2]"

ie. two separate things/different situations. There wouldn't be an issue of diseased bone where it was being used in childbirth.

Yep, definitely shocking.

[cmoneyspinner]

Sometimes I wonder if the human mind is “diseased”. Humans want to argue that elephants have human rights while humans disregard the human rights of a woman giving birth to another human. That kind of thinking is SICK!