Hysteria and its treatment

450 BC - 1952

Do you sometimes feel nervous, irritable, or sad? Headaches? Have erotic fantasies or intellectual ambitions? If you are a woman and said yes to any of these, then you might suffer from hysteria. This ancient disorder first reached epidemic proportions in the early 1900s when British doctors estimated that 75 percent of all women suffered from hysteria. Treatment options included horse riding or hydrotherapy in which a jet of water was aimed at the vagina. The most popular treatment was manual stimulation by a qualified doctor.

The innovative electric vibrator made the procedure more efficient and less fatiguing for doctors. It not only significantly increased the number of patients a doctor could treat, but it also required less skill than manual treatment. Hysteria as a medical disorder disappeared in the 1970s but reminds us that failure can also be ideological.

Additional info:

Mcgill.ca - The History of Hysteria

Sciencedirect.com - A brief history of hysteria:

Glamour.com - The History of Doctors Diagnosing Women With Hysteria

Antiquevibratormuseum.com - yup, an entire museum!

Vice.com - Hysterical: A Timeline of Vintage Vibrators

Trailer for the 2011 romantic comedy Hysteria: