Eli5: Why didn’t old times amputation use the butcher’s method?

Question

Was just reading on pre 20th century amputations and how they strived to be as fast as possible, cutting through bone and all.
Why didn’t they just amputate at the joint, like a butcher cuts pork or beef? That would have been way faster than sawing off though bone.

In: 8

Answer 1

Because the violence of that method would damage more tissue than is necessary. A surgeon has to keep their patient alive after surgery.. a butcher clearly doesn’t.