Even though, mercifully, it was a long cry from the electric-powered monsters people cut down trees with nowadays, the first chainsaw was really created to be used during childbirth. John Aitken and James Jeffray, two Scottish doctors, invented the first version of chainsaw childbirth in the late 18th century for the symphysiotomy procedure.
Originally, the technique was done by hand with a small knife and saw to cut off the bone. All of the chainsaw childbirth was performed on a pregnant woman without anaesthetic. It was messy, it took long time, and it was painful.