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A rare strip of parchment over 3 meters long and adorned with Christian emblems shows chemical traces of its use by the women of medieval England as a magical amulet to protect them during pregnancy and childbirth, according to a new study.
On the surface of the parchment strip – called a “birth belt” or “birth scroll” – researchers found traces of plants and animals. protein medieval treatments used to treat common health problems during pregnancy; and human proteins that correspond to cervicovaginal fluid. These traces suggest that the belt was worn by women during childbirth.
“This particular belt shows visual evidence of having been heavily manipulated, as much of the image and text has been worn away,” biochemist Sarah Fiddyment of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Archeology said in a report. E-mail. “It also has many spots and imperfections, giving the general appearance of a document that has been actively used.”
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Fiddyment is the lead author of the new study, which was published Wednesday March 10 in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
The long, narrow parchment was originally made, probably in the late 15th century, from four strips of sheepskin that had been scraped and sewn together. The resulting strip is illustrated with Christian images, including images of the nails of the crucifixion; the holy monogram IHS, which is a way of writing the name of Jesus; a standing figure, maybe Jesus; and his crucifixion wounds, dripping with blood. The text of Christian prayers also appears on both sides.
Birthing belts
The birthing belt described in the study is a rare surviving example preserved in the Wellcome Collection, a science, medicine, life and art museum and library in London.
These belts were once commonplace as magical remedies to protect women from the dangers of childbirth, which was one of the leading causes of death for women in medieval times.
There are several references to their use in medieval England, and churches and monasteries often loaned them to pregnant women in exchange for a donation; when the wife of King Henry VII of England became pregnant, the sum of six shillings and eight pence was paid “to a monkey who brought Notre-Dame gyrdelle to the queen,” according to historical records.
Women would wear the illustrated scrolls of parchment or silk wrapped around their waist and the pregnancy bump in one of several configurations; the rolls were about 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide and about exactly 11 feet (3.3 m) long – it was thought that such a belt would be suitable for Mary, the mother of Jesus.
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But birth scrolls and other church rituals were the target of destruction during Henry VIII’s so-called “Dissolution of the Monasteries” which began in 1536. Protestant reformers regarded childbirth rituals as “shrines for prohibited religious practices,” and they actively tried to suppress them – although recalcitrant midwives continued to secretly use birthing belts, the researchers wrote.
“One of the big concerns of the Reformation was the addition of help from supernatural sources beyond the Trinity,” said study co-author Natalie Goodison, a historian from the universities of Durham and ‘Edinburgh, in an email. “The birth belt itself appears to have been of particular concern, as it appears to harness both ritual and religious powers.”
Telltale proteins
Researchers performed a non-invasive examination of the birth belt by applying small, wet discs of plastic film to its surface, so that chemical traces of a material are transferred to the disc – a technique that has been used previously. to study fragile paper documents and even ancient mummified skin.
Their tests showed traces of protein from honey, grains, legumes – like beans – and sheep’s or goat’s milk, all of which were ingredients from medieval treatments for childbirth and its associated health problems.
For example, beans are said to heal lesions in the uterus and trigger the flow of breast milk; and goat’s milk was believed to provide strength after blood loss, a common occurrence during childbirth, the researchers wrote.
Researchers also found traces of 55 human proteins on the birth scroll parchment, but only two on a control sample of parchment that was known not to have been used in childbirth.
The proteins on the delivery scroll were overwhelmingly those found in human cervicovaginal fluid, the researchers wrote: “This may provide another possible indication that the role was indeed actively used during childbirth.”
This particular birth belt dates back as far as the beginning of the 15th century, and it was either forgotten or quietly put away during the dissolution of the monasteries some 60 years later.
It is now one of the few birthing belts to survive this initial purge and the power fluctuations between Catholic and Protestant monarchs of England that influenced birthing practices during their reigns, including the use of birthing belts.
“If it was used by midwives in secret, it could have been used for 150 years, but we think the longer date is less likely,” Goodison said. “The very fact that this manuscript is so conspicuously worn indicates that it has been used very well.… I feel like it has been used in hundreds of issues.”
Originally posted on Live Science.
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