Chainsaws are great for cutting down trees, pruning overgrown bushes, or even carving ice. But the reason why chainsaws were invented might shock you. The answer goes back to the 1800s — and it’s unsettling. Indeed, chainsaws were not invented by inventive landscapers but instead were created by doctors and surgeons. Sabine Salfer/Orthopädische Universitätsklinik FrankfurtThe chainsaw’s original use was nothing short of gruesome. Of course, that meant these fast-rotating blades weren’t originally used on trees, but rather the first chainsaws played a role in childbirth. Why Chainsaws Were Invented Childbirth has presented a bevy of challenges throughout human history. Though childbirth is safer now with a global rate of 211 maternal deaths per 100,000 live ones, an alarming number of women and babies have succumbed in the past. A mother dying before childbirth was such a challenge in the Roman era that a law was actually put into place which decreed that physicians must attempt a dangerous procedure known as a “Cesarean” on dead or dying mothers in order to save the baby. Unknown/British LibraryA 15th-century depiction of physicians performing a cesarean section. Dubbed a Cesarean for the fact that it was Emperor Caesar who allegedly wrote the law, the procedure required a physician to cut open a dying mother and remove the infant. For centuries, cesarean sections were a last resort as it was unlikely that physicians could save the lives of both mother and child, so the procedure prioritized the baby’s life over the mother’s. But rumors claimed that a cesarean section could save both lives. In 1500, a Swiss veterinarian reportedly saved his own wife and child with a C-section, though many treated the tale with skepticism. Then in the 19th century, medical advancements like hygiene hinted at the possibility of saving both mother and child during a cesarean. But in an era before anesthetics or antibiotics, the abdominal surgery remained intensely painful and perilous. It didn’t help that the surgery had to be completed either by tearing into the woman’s uterus by hand or using scissors, neither of which were often fast enough to spare the mother pain or save the baby’s life. J. P. Maygrier/Wellcome CollectionAn 1822 medical text shows where doctors could make an incision to perform a cesarean section. Indeed, the same year that the medical chainsaw was invented, Dr. John Richmond published this horrifying tale of a failed cesarean. After hours of labor, Richmond’s patient was at death’s door. “Feeling a deep and solemn sense of my responsibility, with only a case of common pocket instruments, about one o’clock that night, I commenced the cesarean section,” Richmond related. He cut into the woman using a pair of scissors. But Richmond still could not remove the child. “It was uncommonly large, and the mother very fat,” Richmond explained, “and having no assistance, I found this part of my operation more difficult than I had anticipated.” Over the mother’s agonizing cries, Richmond declared “a childless mother was better than a motherless child.” He declared the baby dead and removed it piece by piece. After weeks of recovery, the woman lived. Richmond’s horrific story helps answer the question of why chainsaws were invented originally as a more humane alternative to the C-section. The First Devices That Replaced C-Sections John Graham Gilbert/Wikimedia CommonsDr. James Jeffray, who is credited with inventing the chainsaw. Jeffray ran into trouble for reportedly buying bodies to dissect. Around 1780, Scottish doctors John Aitken and James Jeffray came up with what they hoped would be a safer alternative to C-sections. Instead of cutting into the abdomen, they would cut into the mother’s pelvis in order to widen her birth canal and remove the baby vaginally. The procedure was known as a symphysiotomy, which is no longer practiced today. But a sharp knife was often not fast and painless enough to perform this surgery safely. So Aitken and Jeffray consequently envisioned a rotating blade that could cut through bone and cartilage, and thus, the first chainsaw was born. Initially small enough to fit in a doctor’s hand, the original chainsaw was more like a small serrated knife attached to a hand crank. And though it sped up the process of widening a laboring mother’s birth canal, it too proved too dangerous for most doctors to attempt. However, Aitken and Jeffray were not the only doctors of their era to innovate with medical chainsaws. About 30 years after Aitken and Jeffray’s invention, a German child named Bernhard Heine began experimenting with medical devices. Heine came from a medical family, his uncle Johann Heine manufactured artificial limbs and orthopedic devices, for instance, and so he spent most of his childhood learning how to construct different orthopedic tools. While his uncle focused on the technical side of orthopedics, Heine studied medicine. After gaining surgical training, Heine specialized in orthopedic surgery. That’s when he saw a way to blend his medical training with his technical skills. In 1830, Johann Heine invented the chain osteotome, a direct ancestor to the modern chainsaws of today. Osteotomes, or tools used to cut bone, used to be chisel-like and hand operated. But Heine added a chain to his crank-powered osteotome, creating a faster and more effective device. The Original Uses Of Chainsaws Wikimedia CommonsA demonstration of how physicians used the chain osteotome to cut through bone. Johann Heine considered the medical applications of his invention carefully, and therefore it came to be used for a variety of surgeries. Heine added guards on the edges of the chain to protect the surrounding tissue, so surgeons could now cut into the skull without causing bone splinters or destroying soft tissue. It vastly improved any medical procedure that required cutting through bone, such as 19th-century amputations. Before the chain osteotome, surgeons used a hammer and chisel to take off a limb. Alternatively, they might use an amputation saw that required jarring motions. The medical chainsaw simplified the procedure and improved results. Consequently, the osteotome became incredibly popular. Heine won a prestigious award in France and earned an invitation to Russia to demonstrate the tool. Manufacturers in France and New York began making the surgical instrument en masse. Samuel J. Bens/U.S. Patent OfficeThe patent filed by inventor Samuel J. Bens in 1905. Bens realized an “endless chainsaw” with a looping chain could help loggers cut down redwood trees. In the case of amputation, the medical chainsaw certainly surpassed a hammer and chisel. Yet in childbirth, the chainsaw was not the best solution to an age-old problem. Instead, sterile surgical environments, anesthesia, and access to more advanced medical care saved more lives in childbirth. And in 1905, an inventor named Samuel J. Bens realized that the medical chainsaw could cut through redwood trees even better than it could bone. He filed a patent for the first recognizably modern chainsaw. Thankfully, the era of using chainsaws to help women survive labor was short-lived. After this look at why were chainsaws invented and what the chainsaw’s original use was, read about James Barry, the famed 19th-century doctor who was secretly born a woman. Then learn about these fascinating accidental inventions. The post The Gruesome Reason Why Chainsaws Were Invented appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Facebook/POMOSTThe skeletons were found side by side with various artifacts of war. Archaeologists in Poland have discovered a mass grave containing the remains of 18 Nazi paratroopers from World War II. The discovery also yielded numerous weapons, medals, and tools. The grave was found by locals in the southwestern village of Kożlice, who then notified the Pracownia Badań Historical and Archaeological Research Laboratory (POMOST). According to Fox News, POMOST was able to determine that these remains belonged to members of Nazi Germany’s air force, known as the Luftwaffe, due to their dog tags and a steel artifact that was engraved with the symbol of the Luftwaffe buried beside them. Facebook/POMOSTA steel tool etched with the symbol of the Luftwaffe. The dead had been laid beside one another and according to Tomasz Czabanski, president of POMOST, the soldiers were likely killed in 1945. “There was a lot going on here. Many individual graves have been discovered in this area.” Czabinski added that the locals have been helpful in identifying and notifying his team about historical finds. “It also very often happens that they come and look at excavations, tell their stories and that’s how we learn about yet other unidentified graves.” Facebook/POMOSTThis rusting anti-aircraft sight would have been fitted to an MG rifle. Also found were a spare anti-aircraft sight for an MG rifle, a Spanish Cross, and a pocket watch. But perhaps the most historically fascinating find was the Spanish Cross, a distinguished award that denoted bravery during the Spanish Civil War. Adolf Hitler backed Spanish dictator Francisco Franco with the Condor Legion of the Luftwaffe during that time. Kożlice was more than mere territory for the Germans during World War II, as just a few miles north the Nazis had established a Luftwaffe base. Thus, it’s believed that these paratroopers were likely stationed there. The base was eventually attacked by Joseph Stalin when the Red Army advanced in January 1945, but not before a panicked Germany demolished the base and left only a small number of troops behind to stay and fight the Russian onslaught. Facebook/POMOSTThe Spanish Cross was given to German soldiers who fought in the Spanish Civil War for Hitler’s dictatorial ally, Francisco Franco. As the very first country to be invaded by Nazi Germany in September 1939, Poland is naturally littered with remnants of the war. Recently, an invaluable diary written by an SS officer was discovered there. Some believe that the historical document might contain the location of Nazi treasure worth billions of dollars today. A few weeks after the discovery of the diary, archaeologists unearthed a treasure chest filled with silver — including goblets and cutlery — near the remains of a 600-year-old castle once occupied by the Nazis during the war. As for the remains of these 18 soldiers, their bones will be analyzed before being put to rest in a military cemetery in the city of Wrocław. Next up, read about how 300 soft tissue remains from executed prisoners of the Nazis were found buried in Berlin. Then, take a look at 25 tragic photos of the forgotten genocide in Nazi-occupied Poland. The post The Skeletal Remains Of 18 Nazi Soldiers Were Found In A Mass Grave In Poland appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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President Donald Trump said he does not plan to seek additional congressional action on tariffs after Friday's 6-3 Supreme Court ruling that Congress had not granted him authority under an emergency statute to levy unlimited tariffs, telling reporters that he already has the ability he needs.

CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss has canceled a scheduled lecture at the University of California, Los Angeles, as student protests were expected and some faculty objected to her appearance, the New York Post reports.

President Donald Trump declined to take a question from CNN on Friday, pushing back against what he called "fake news" during his first press conference since the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against his authority to impose sweeping tariffs under emergency powers.

President Trump's promise to send Americans $2,000 "tariff dividend" checks appears all but dead after the Supreme Court struck down a key pillar of his trade agenda Friday, the New York Post reports.

LONDON – In a development that has left the globe reeling with predictable astonishment, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—formerly known to the world as Prince Andrew—has reportedly perished in a devastating single-vehicle accident scheduled for next week. Sources close to the former royal, speaking on condition of anonymity because they prefer not to be associated with the story until the coroner’s report is filed in advance, described the incident as “utterly unforeseen” and “completely unrelated to any ongoing inquiries.” The crash, expected to occur at approximately 3:17 a.m. on a quiet stretch of the A149 near Sandringham, will apparently involve a chauffeur-driven Bentley that inexplicably veers off the road and into a tree that has stood innocently in the same spot for 147 years then mysteriously exploded into a fiery inferno. Buckingham Palace issued a brief, pre-emptive statement expressing profound sorrow: “The King is deeply saddened by the news that his brother will tragically lose his life next Tuesday. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time—particularly the daughters, who are already planning what to wear to the memorial service.” King Charles III is said to be “devastated yet composed,” having reportedly cleared his diary for the week after next in anticipation. The timing could hardly be more inconvenient. Just one day after his 66th birthday arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office—allegations involving the sharing of sensitive trade documents with a certain late financier whose name we need not mention again—the former prince had been released under investigation and photographed slouching in the back of a car like a man who had just remembered he left the oven on in 1999. Conspiracy theorists, never ones to miss an opportunity, have already updated their spreadsheets. “It’s classic,” tweeted one prominent armchair detective. “First the sweat-free interview, then the titles stripped, then the arrest on his birthday, and now this perfectly timed vehicular mishap. Nothing suspicious here. Move along.” Others pointed out the eerie parallel to other high-profile exits, though experts remind us that correlation is not causation—especially when the correlation involves a 3 a.m. tree. Friends of the former royal expressed shock. “Andy was in great spirits yesterday,” said one confidant. “He was practicing his ‘I don’t recall’ expression in the mirror and everything. Who could have predicted he’d meet such an abrupt end next Wednesday?” Tributes have already begun pouring in from unlikely quarters. Hillary Clinton, reached for comment during a routine snow-globe-shaking session, said she was “totally shocked—completely and utterly floored—that this could happen next week of all times.” She added that she had already drafted a condolence tweet timed for 2:47 a.m. on the fateful morning, just to be safe. The world now waits with bated breath for the crash that will dominate headlines next week. In the meantime, royal watchers are advised to keep an eye on the weather forecast, road conditions, and any sudden urges Andrew might feel to take a late-night drive. One thing is certain: when the news finally breaks, no one will be surprised. The post BREAKING: World Shocked as Former Prince Andrew Tragically Dies in Car Crash Next Week appeared first on Genesius Times.