Cavepeople and Chords & stuff
Cavepeople and Chords & stuff
Author
Discussion

lazyitus

Original Poster:

19,931 posts

295 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
Ever wondered what used to happen?

You know, in the olden days, caveman days, ice-age etc.

I was having a look at my wifes bulbous stomach today (she's pregnant, not a fat-so) and it got me wondering what happened years ago.

Say, for example, when we were monkey-like or caveman-esque, what the hell did we do when a baby was born. Today, all is taken care of by trained doctors, widwives and nurses. What happened in the caves?

It must have been bizarre. Assuming they had no proper languages, there must have been some strange sequence that they had to go through.

Would they have all gathered round, grunting and pointing, pulling and pushing? Did the baby get spun round, post birth, in order for the chord to be stressed, thus causing it to snap or detatch?

This may seem an odd post due to Rioja but it does baffle me.

:party:

deckster

9,631 posts

284 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
What happened? Shed loads of them died, I would guess.

Bet you the alpha males still got together for a puff of smouldering leaves and a tot of fermented bilberry juice tho

ferg

15,242 posts

286 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
No idea, but it amazed me how regular the cord was when mine were born. Like a plastic curly telephone cable!!

Wacky Racer

41,276 posts

276 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
And what happened when a caveman had toothache..

Did they just get the nearest rock and smash it out....

Actually, I asked my dentist this, on my last visit, and she said probably it would have gone badly septic, gone into the bloodsteam and they would eventually have died from it........

lazyitus

Original Poster:

19,931 posts

295 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
And what happened when a caveman had toothache..

Did they just get the nearest rock and smash it out....


All this stuff fascinates me.

They say we are undeveloped in our own way and in relation to the future. I say thats bollox. Compared to then, I thing we've sorted alot of issues out.

In years to come, will they look back at our way of life now, and think we had to suffer alot?

lazyitus

Original Poster:

19,931 posts

295 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
los angeles said:
In Skelmersdale, the woman is expected to walk a distance, choose a suitable bush, go behind it, have her baby, cut the umbilical cord, clean the child and her, and not return until it is suckling - all without help or supervision. Nafinol Helf folk, they don't know how lucky they are, mate.


Thought so.

Lois

14,706 posts

281 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
I can answer this one! Just reading a book on bringing birth back to normality so it looks at the history of giving birth.

Through studying the behaviours of many tribes they think it was a natural thing to have women around if she wasn't alone (as do certain animals). Likely to have had the natural nesting instinct so would have built a private area with soft ferns and probably have birth standing up. The hip shape of such homosapians did make birth easier from that point!

Some tribes give birth in rivers or the sea.

Not too sure about the cord (not chord!) though. Most animals instinct is to tear it with their teeth but this could have lead to bleeding to death of the infant.
One breed of monkeys actually leaves their offsprint attached to the cord and placenta until it naturally drops off (as do some people nowadays, called lotus birth).

wedge girl

4,688 posts

268 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
They used to eat the placenta, as it's an excellent source of vitamins, I believe even today,it's still considered a delicacy in some countries.

Lois

14,706 posts

281 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
yup! It's still the woman's property so she can take it home with her and fry it up!

parrot of doom

23,075 posts

263 months

Saturday 28th May 2005
quotequote all
pfft, its perfectly simple.

They just touched a large rectangular black 'thing', and the knowledge came to them.

Don't you lot know anything?

>> Edited by parrot of doom on Saturday 28th May 23:20

Selmer

2,760 posts

271 months

Sunday 29th May 2005
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]


a lá that funny bloke's cookery programme, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who helped some woman throw a dinner party for her friends. one of the courses was indeed, a fried up placenta. In garlic and herbs though, because it would have been disgusting otherwise.
Gee thanks!

Selmer

2,760 posts

271 months

Sunday 29th May 2005
quotequote all
los angeles said:
Is that true, Selmer? I presume it wasn't a human one; nevertheless, he needs treatment.

Yeah, I think the 'placenta' show was part of a series called 'Friends For Dinner'. The guy now runs a rural idyll where his hippyish (middle class, artisans) freinds now meet for medievil banquets and such. He regularly hob nobs with landed gentry in order to get cheap game or hare etc.
But at least he hasn't gone down the 'Jamie Oliver' media tart route.

groucho

12,134 posts

275 months

Sunday 29th May 2005
quotequote all
Child birth, the most natural thing any species does. I assume a cave woman gave birth with minimal fuss and then went on with their daily business......Survival.

simpo two

92,708 posts

294 months

Sunday 29th May 2005
quotequote all
groucho said:
Child birth, the most natural thing any species does. I assume a cave woman gave birth with minimal fuss and then went on with their daily business......Survival.


You mean she didn't spend 3 months choosing a pushchair, and the father didn't get 2 months off mammoth-hunting for paternity leave? How ever did they cope?