The Fascinating History of the Vibrator for Women. At One Time They Were Only Medical Devices!

Hysteria in Women

The word "hysteria" comes from a Greek word meaning "that which proceeds from the uterus". When we use the word "hysteria" today it means something entirely different than it did before the 19th century. At that time it was known as a physical/emotional sexual disorder (some physicians referred to it as a chronic disease) assigned solely to women.

Some of the symptoms women would display included fainting, nervousness, insomnia, crying, sensations of heaviness in the abdomen, muscle spasms, shortness of breath, lethargy, loss of appetite for food or sex with the approved male partner (her husband), and at times a tendency to cause "trouble" for others (especially family members). It was even thought by some that "hysteria" was an evil force within the body.

This "disorder" was thought to be the result of "non-sufficient" sexual intercourse, sexual deprivation, or a lack of sexual gratification (and if the woman was married it was never blamed on her husband). It was believed that "passionate" women were particularly susceptible to this unfortunate "condition". Doctors' treatments ranged anywhere from prescribing exercise, massage, taking baths and even swinging from hammocks to alleviate the symptoms.

Marriage and intercourse were thought to be the best cure for hysterical women. Of course masturbation was simply out of the question. It was believed all sorts of bad things would happen to women who engaged in this type of activity (even if it did make them ultimately feel better). It was common belief that wives were healthier than widows because they had the benefits of intercourse with their husbands to keep the "deplorable curse" away.

Treatments By Doctors

In order for hysterical women to get any relief from this "crisis" their only option would be to get treated by their doctors for their condition referred to by some as "pelvic congestion". It was believed that harmful fluids would build up in the uterus that needed to be evacuated in order to bring comfort to the patient (both physically and mentally). The only way, it seemed, to achieve this was having the doctor massage the woman's genital area until her body was able to expel these fluids. During this procedure women exhibited "strange" behaviors such as tossing their head back and forth, rapidly rocking and flexing their torso, having their body involvuntarily curve into a back-bended position for several seconds, uttering cries of pleasure, laughing, and then ultimately having their body going limp. Many patients expressed a desire to sleep afterwards.

Was This An Epidemic?

So, then, why was this disorder/disease prevalent in so many women (even the married ones)? Over time, such staggering numbers of women complained of some type of symptoms related to "hysteria", that it couldn't be denied that something needed to be done. It should be noted that all these women were seeing their doctors on a regular basis because, of course, the relief from each treatment was only temporary. It never fixed the "problem" for good (of course). It was happening in epidemic proportions! Frankly, the poor doctors were tired. Their waiting rooms became so full with women looking for "treatment" that their hands and arms could no longer keep up. For some women the procedure from "start to finish" could take quite some time and a lot of work.

The First Vibrator

So it only makes sense that the first "mechanical vibrator" to assist in the treatment of hysteria was invented by a physician in the 1880's. For doctors in this line of work, the vibrator was a godsend! What might take an hour to do manually, the vibrator could accomplish in a short 5-10 minute process. A lot of physicians during this time were not very eager about treating hysteria in their patients anyway. Many of them considered it a tedious, difficult, and time-consuming chore so they enthusiastically welcomed the invention of these "motor-driven assistants". The first ones were huge scary-looking contraptions sitting in the doctors' offices but I'm sure women weren't complaining about how they looked. They were just relieved and reaping the benefits.

It wasn't until after 1900 that portable vibrators were starting to be made available to the buying public. Women no longer had to make a doctor's appointment to get some "relief". They could start "treating" (so to speak) themselves and they could do it in the privacy of their homes at a fraction of the cost of going to the doctor. After all, even a very good home vibrator cost no more than 4 or 5 office visits, and it was available to them at any time at no additional expenditure other than the cost for the electrical power. You could even buy them out of the Sears, Roebuck catalog! What a revolution for women!

Ladies, We've Come a Very Long Way!

I think it's interesting that it took over 2,500 years for the medical community to understand that what was simply a woman's normal-functioning sex-drive was thought of as something negative; a "disorder, disease, crisis, evil condition, etc." which was believed to require serious medical intervention. It took almost until the 1950's to have "hysteria" as a sexual disease entirely disproved in the medical community.

All these ladies needed was to be able to have healthy orgasms in whatever manner they decided and not made to feel bad about it. I'm glad we've evolved aren't you? I'm glad that we have choices and that we can be open and honest (and not feel guilty) about our sexuality.

"The Technology of Orgasm" by Rachel P. Maines. This is a fascinating book that goes into more detail about the history of "Hysteria", the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction. I couldn't put it down until I'd read the last page.