Images of 15th century sheepskin birthing girdles studied by Cambridge University researchers. The top-right image shows the hands and feet of Christ (i.e. the five wounds of Christ) dripping with blood. Below that, a very rubbed and faded green cross or crucifix. And to the right, a Tau cross with red heart and shield. (Images courtesy of Wellcome Collection via Courthouse News) PARIS (AFP) — A 15th century “birthing girdle,” inscribed with prayers and a well-thumbed crucifix image, was likely actively used in medieval childbirth, according to new research on one of the few such sashes not destroyed by time or religious revolutionaries.