"A high value was placed on virginity, making it a commodity of sorts. As with all things, once a value is assigned to an object, people will go to great lengths to prove its authenticity and to regain it if it is lost."
"Society had multiple ways of determining whether or not a woman was a virgin. She might have undergone an inspection from a midwife to see if her hymen was intact or would have been expected to show bloody sheets after the wedding night."
"A few days before their marriage and subsequent consummation, women could attach a leech to their vulva that would create a small wound. They'd remove it, allow the wound to scab over, and then the friction of their wedding night activities would tear open the scab, causing them to bleed."
"In his book Natural Magick, published in 1558, John Baptista Porta details how this could have been completed with the help of a midwife."
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