Childbirth isn't for the faint-hearted at the best of times, let alone in the medieval period. What was a birthing room like ...

Medieval women made their flesh into pure meaning. In childbirth, they wrapped their bellies in silk and paper girdles inscribed with prayers and instructions: Count the drops of Christ’s blood ...

Some early hand-cranked saws driven by chains were invented in the 18th century for the "symphysiotomy and excision of diseased bone respectively." In some cases, these saws were used to break ...

Childbirth was a risky business in the era ... Maternal mortality is estimated to have been perhaps more than 20 times higher than the current U.S. rates, with estimates ranging from 500 to ...

In this video, we explore what it took to survive pregnancy in the Middle Ages – a time when medicine was primitive, risks were high, and childbirth was a life-or-death event. From strange folk ...