“Pelvic Massages” for Hysteria
Back in the 1800s, anxiety, irritability and sexual desires were considered the symptoms of hysteria: the “female disease.” They treated this condition with none other than an orgasm, of course! The common belief was that women didn’t orgasm, so giving her a “pelvic massage” was considered to rid her of hysterical behavior. Later, the invention of the “manipulator” (aka a vibrator) would spare the physician from massaging.