Being Pregnant
Hands Down the Weirdest Thing I’ve Seen: 1963 Patent for ‘Birthing Apparatus’
I have read some interesting things about birth over the past few years. Since having children and now writing for Being Pregnant I have come across some things for research that really just leave me scratching my head. Some things that are outside my comfort zone, some incredible things and then … I come across this.
An old patent from 1963 called “Apparatus for Facilitating the Birth of a Child by Centrifugal Force“. I had to take a second look. Then a third look. Then I had to shake my head in disbelief. It is probably the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Scratch that … it is the weirdest thing I have ever seen.
Patented on November 9, 1965 by George and Charlotte Blonsky, this complicated machine is pretty much just a concrete floor slab with a motor of varying speeds. Using ‘centrifugal force’ the woman is strapped down and spun in a circle. To make things even more classy this machine comes with what looks like a vaginal basket to catch the baby when it’s spun out of the woman.
Still with me?
As you could imagine – at the time of inventing this machine George and Charlotte did not have any of their own children but had thought to have invented this machine after watching elephant give birth. Can’t make this stuff up people.
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source: United States Patent Office
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3 Comments
Ruth commented on Dec 30 11 at 9:19 pmHoly crap.
What?
Really?Go figure it was invented by men. LOL!!!!
Lori commented on Jan 03 12 at 1:43 pmI think the most disturbing part is that it was thought up as late as the 1960′s. It somehow wouldn’t be as bad if you said it was from the Victorian Era when they were coming up w/ all kinds of crazy medical crap. You hope they didn’t build a prototype and get some poor unsuspecting person to use it. Scary!!!
Bhavani commented on Jan 13 12 at 1:02 pmWow! And I thot the Inuit custom of bouncing and tossing laboring women in a people-held seal skin trampoline to encourage the babe to come was intense!
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