Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

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CULTURE (/MEDIA) → Film (/category/primarytags/film) , Health (/category/primarytags/health) , Reproductive Rights (/category/primarytags/reproductiverights) , Sex and Gender (/category/primarytags/sexandgender) , Top Stories (/category/primarytags/topstories) Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It Vibrators, douches, and pelvic massage: Curing crazy ladies for centuries—one "hysterical paroxysm" at a time. —By Maya Dusenbery (/authors/mayadusenbery) | Fri Jun. 1, 2012 3:00 AM PDT

4 Like 389

(#disqus_thread) The new film Hysteria

(http://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/filmreview

hysteriamaggiegyllenhaalhughdancy) tells a fictionalized account of the invention of the vibrator in Victorianera England. But just how historically accurate is it? Surprisingly close. As historian Rachel P. Maines points out in her book "The Technology of Orgasm

(http://www.powells.com/biblio/108018664645) ," the symptoms of "hysteria"—a catchall diagnosis for French pelvic douche of about 1860 from Fleury, reproduced from Siegfried Giedion, Mechanization a slew of vexing lady problems that dates back a Takes Command (New York: Oxford University Press, couple millennia—included fainting, anxiety, 1948) sleeplessness, irritability, nervousness and "a tendency to cause trouble for others." (Two other symptoms suspiciously associated with hysteria? Erotic fantasy and excessive vaginal lubrication.) And since at least the second century, a good orgasm, or rather "hysterial paroxysm," was considered a suitable treatment—at least when practiced by a medical professional. Check out our illustrated history of hysteria—and the early sex toys used to treat it—from the time of Hippocrates to today.

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/hysteria‑sex‑toy‑history‑timeline 1/10 6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/hysteria‑sex‑toy‑history‑timeline 2/10 6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/hysteria‑sex‑toy‑history‑timeline 3/10 6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/hysteria‑sex‑toy‑history‑timeline 4/10 6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/hysteria‑sex‑toy‑history‑timeline 5/10 6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/hysteria‑sex‑toy‑history‑timeline 6/10 6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

www.motherjones.com/media/2012/05/hysteria‑sex‑toy‑history‑timeline 7/10 6/2/12 Timeline: Female Hysteria and the Sex Toys Used to Treat It | Mother Jones

For more information on the fascinating history of the vibrator, check out Rachel Maines’ book "The Technology of Orgasm: 'Hysteria,' the Vibrator, and Women’s Sexual Satisfaction

(http://www.powells.com/biblio/108018664645) " and the Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum

(http://antiquevibratormuseum.com/) .

Opensource timeline tool by Balance Media (http://www.builtbybalance.com/) and WNYC/John Keefe

(http://johnkeefe.net/) . Try it yourself here! (https://github.com/balancemedia/Timeline)

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(#disqus_thread) (/PRINT/ (/FORWARD MAYA DUSENBERY (/authors/mayadusenbery) Editorial Fellow 178726) ? Maya Dusenbery is an editorial fellow at Mother Jones. For more of her stories, click here PATH=NODE (http://www.motherjones.com/authors/mayadusenbery) . RSS (/RSS/AUTHORS/150571) | TWITTER (HTTP://TWITTER.COM/MAYADUSENBERY) /178726)

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John Colwell (http://www.facebook.com/people/JohnColwell/100000721295939) (http://disqus.com/facebook Yesterday 08:35 AM (#comment545032635) 100000721295939/)

What about the '36 Knucklehead?

Flag (#) (http://disqus.com/facebook100000130154004) Dave Decker and 3 more liked this (#) Like Reply

Dave Decker (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000130154004) Yesterday 08:52 AM (#comment545045251) in reply to John Colwell (http://disqus.com/facebook (#comment545032635) 100000130154004/)

http://machinedesign.com/video... (http://machinedesign.com/video/1937harleydavidsonknuckleheadmotorcycle

engine1218?page=1)

Flag (#) (http://disqus.com/JohnnyWinebox) JohnnyWinebox and 1 more liked this (#) Like Reply

John Colwell (http://www.facebook.com/people/JohnColwell/100000721295939) Yesterday 10:49 AM (#comment545139202) in reply to Dave Decker (http://disqus.com/facebook (#comment545045251) 100000721295939/)

That's impressive, wait let me see that again for the umpteenth time. That made my day, thanks Dave. I'm foaming at the brain. Checked out his website, great story. Buys out a bankrupt miniature

guy making Gnome radials, that's a funky motor. I hope he is successful.

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MrSoul (http://profile.yahoo.com/MDP52DLE2UZFXHPZFHHEVYJB2A) Yesterday (http://disqus.com/yahoo 11:22 AM (#comment545166393) MDP52DLE2UZFXHPZFHHEVYJB2A/)

Vibrating before vacuuming. At least we have some priorities straight.

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