The Hysterical HerstoryOf Hysteria

And How ItWas Cured

FromAncient Times Until Now

BYTHEGUERRILLAGIRLSGUERRILLA GIRLSwww.guerrillagirls.com

BY THEGUERRILLAGIRLS

26Q4The

HystericalHerstoryOf

HysteriaAnd HowItWasCured

FromAncient TimesUntil Now

STILL CRAZYAFTERALL THESE YEARS

Once upon a time, women in Europe and Americasuffered from a terrible disease called hysteria.

Its symptomswere nervousness, fatigue, anxiety,insomnia, faintness, muscle spasms, shortnessof breath, irritability, headaches, heaviness of theabdomen, fluid retention, lack of concentration,depression, loss of appetite for food or sex, tick-lishness, andmaking trouble. Doctors claimed twoout of every threewomen suffered from this awfulaffliction.

No one knewwhat caused hysteria, so great menof science decided it had to bewomen's mysteri-ous sexual organs.

Greek doctor searching for wandering uterus

SOMETHING IN THEWAY SHEMOVES

In Ancient Greece, Plato believed the uteruswandered around awomans body, chokingand strangling all normal functions as it went.

Hangingwitches

NO SYMPATHY FOR THEDEVIL

Starting in theMiddle Ages, many people thoughtwomenwho displayed extreme hysteria were pos-sessed by the devil ... theywerewitches! Amongthe cures: burning at the stake and hanging.

Top: wooden syringe; Bottom: subfumigator

HITMEWITHYOUR BEST SHOT

In the Renaissance, special instruments weredeveloped to purgewomen of hysteria. Lotsof Dutch houses had awooden syringe in theouthouse. It was hollow and shotmedicinal fluidsinto awomans vagina to flush out the unsavorystuff deep inside her that caused her illness ...including old sperm. In Italy, a device was used tofumigatewomens innards with hot vapors.

Doctor massaging patient

DR. FEELGOOD

Another treatment for hysteria, if a woman couldafford it, involved a physicianmassaging the in-side edges of her vaginawith aromatic oils. Shewould then fall into a frenzied state of groaningandmoaning, sometimes over and over again. Itwas not unusual for the patient to lose conscious-ness or fall asleep.When revived, shewas in astate of calm relaxation. Cured! Until her nextepisode of hysteria.

Somewomen had the procedure as often as onceaweek. It was especially effective on virgins, wid-ows and nuns. The treatment could takeminutes,or even hours.What a lot of work for doctors!

Men of medicine gavewomen orgasms and gotpaid for it. Should we call that healthcare ... orprostitution?

RIDE SALLY RIDE

Manywomenwho suffered from hysteria wereinstructed to bounce in hammocks or ride horses.

Bouncing and riding

Top: French Pelvic Douche, 1860; Bottom: Ascending Douche at Saratoga, 1900

PUMPUP THEVOLUME

In the 19th century, alongwith dams, pumps,sewers and other wonders of hydraulics, camea new idea for makingwomen healthy: the highpressure pelvic douche. Vacation spas got intothe action too, with devices like the Saratogachair at left.

Left: Physicians Vibragenitrant with attachmentsRight, top: Excitateur Vulvo-uterin, Paris, 1883; Right, bottom: Hanging Carpenter Vibrator, 1904

GOODVIBRATIONS

After the electric motor was invented in the 1820s,doctors came upwith exciting newways to treatthe ever present problem of female hysteria.

Scientific-minded physicians hadmachines like theones at left that they used directly on patientsgenitals. These early pioneers discovered that thevibration created by these instruments also curedsoremuscles, headaches and aching feet. Modernwonder tools!

Top: French Pelvic Douche, 1860Bottom: Ascending douche at Saratoga, 1900

HOME SWEETHOME

Once electricity wasmore readily available inthe US, women could administer their own curefor hysteria in the privacy of their homes. Port-able home vibrators appeared ten years beforevacuums and irons. Ads for them could be foundinmagazines likeModern Priscilla,WomansHome Companion, Good Housekeeping and Popu-larMechanics.White Cross vibrators were namedafter a 19th century sexual purity organization.Sears Roebuck had its own version, with specialattachments. Once awoman felt better, she couldclean the housewith the samemachine.

1920s flapper with a secret

GIRLS JUSTWANT TOHAVE FUN

The porn industry discovered the vibrator in the1920s. In one film awoman dumps her date at thedoor, then runs to her bedroom and enjoys herlittle machine. Psychiatrists were horrified to see,right there on the screen, amedical device usedfor sexual pleasure. Andwith no penis in the room!Experts declared vibrators lascivious and immoral.Stores like Sears stopped selling them. As late as1999 it was still illegal to sell vibrators in 14 states,including Texas, Georgia, Louisiana,Mississippi,Kansas, Alabama and Colorado.

A selection ofWomens Lib books

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

By the second half of the 20th century, womenssexuality was no longer a bigmystery. Femaleorgasmwas identified, described and encouragedfor goodmental and physical health. Vibratorsbecame the best friend of many a girl. They arestill at the core of a thriving sex toy industry.

Around 1952 themedical profession stoppedregarding hysteria as a serious, widespreadfemale disease. That was the same year Simonede Beauvoirs manifesto, The Second Sex, waspublished, jump-starting theWomens LiberationMovement. Coincidence?

Maybe feminismwas the cure for hysteria ... Ithelpedwomen andmen understand how societyconstrained, misunderstood andmistreated fe-male bodies. Plus, it brought female sexual pleas-ure out of the closet.

Copyright 2009 by Guerrilla Girls, Inc.

Thanks to the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, 2006,Pathology Full Circle, and to Rachel P. Maines, whosebook, The Technology of Orgasm, inspired us and provideda lot of the info in this storybook.

Wed love to hear from you.Guerrilla Girls email: gg@guerrillagirls.com