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I am going to take you back to a really interesting time in history that you wouldn’t have learnt about in school. What you are about to read not many people have heard of let alone will believe.

The scene is late 1890’s Europe. There was a then recognised medical condition that many poor women suffered from. The medical name was Hysteria.

Funnily enough this term is no longer used in the medical field so if you try to look it up in the dictionary you will see a different meaning to what I am going to write about. Safer to Google the definition for the historical meaning of Hysteria.

The only reason I can think on why Hysteria isn’t recognised by the medical field today or that people have not really ever heard of it is for one reason, out of embarrassment!

After you read the below factual information first I think you won’t believe it and then like me will have a giggle then think, What the? Is this really history or just a funny story?

Hysteria could best be described as sexual frustration. Women walking around without orgasms in their life.

There were doctors who specialised in this condition and were in high demand as you can imagine. Women whose main roles in those times were around to please every whim of men, procreate and maintain a clean and orderly house were like walking, ticking time bombs.



Along came specialist doctors who women could attend on a regular basis. The sexually frustrated woman would lie down while the doctors put his hand up her ankle length dress and use his hands and fingers to bring on an orgasm! To me it sounds like an awesome service to provide, I wonder if this would ever be reintroduced and if it would be covered by Medicare?!

This was in the exact same time in history that belief was that women did not experience any enjoyment at all from sexual intercourse.

What the? It was confusing times right as that is very contradictory.

So with the ever increasing demand for women to ‘relieve’ their hysteria symptoms came a problem. Sore, cramping hands! Seriously the doctors started dropping like flies with fatigued hand syndrome. I am giggling to self even writing this, so funny.

With every problem eventually comes a solution. The invention of the vibrator! Yes so one industrious doctor who could not see his increased wealth cease due to a sore hand invented the first ever vibrator. It was a huge, noisy contraption to say the least. But it worked.

Soon they were being advertised everywhere. Women could buy one of their very own and relieve themselves of the ghastly hysteria!

Maybe this was the start of woman’s evolution to be equal citizens to men in the world? Or maybe this is actually just a funny, silly story. You decide.

Had you ever heard of Hysteria before? What do you think? SHARE in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.com
  • Wow, that is insane, I cannot believe there were Doctors for that!

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  • Wow! How we define hysteria today is definitely far from this, there is no way I would be booking in for a “service”.

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  • I’ve seen some of the adverts for this – for drs and what not. Very funny 🙂

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  • Really? I never heard this before.

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  • Oh my goodness. I have never heard of it before. I don’t find it funny

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  • No I have not heard this story before!

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  • This is not very funny and i find it quite disturbing that anyone could find abuse in any form funny.

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  • yes i have heard of this and the invention that it spawned lol.

    Anyway i thought that one of the methods of curing the patient was a “hysterectomy”

    I think that medicare wouldn’t cover it as it would be seen as therapeutic these days lol jokes

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  • A diagnosis of Hysteria was a way for medical men to control and in some cases abuse women and to minimise their emotions and real needs. Hysteria and witch hunting are both shameful and both were used to control and shame women! Thankful to live in a time where most women in this world can and do question the experts and they can decide on what happens to their bodies and not the experts!

    Reply

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