Female hysteria
Female hysteria
Female hysteria (/hɪˈstɪəriə/; from the Greek hysterikos, meaning "of the womb") was a once-common medical diagnosis, exclusively in women, which is today no longer recognized by medical authorities as a medical disorder. Its diagnosis and treatment were routine for many hundreds of years in Western Europe.
Etymology
The term hysteria originates from the Greek word hysterikos, meaning "of the womb". This reflects the ancient belief that women's emotional problems were tied to disorders in the womb. This etymology persisted until the 19th century, when medical professionals began to consider other causes for the condition.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms of female hysteria were thought to include faintness, nervousness, insomnia, fluid retention, heaviness in abdomen, muscle spasm, shortness of breath, irritability, loss of appetite for food or sex, and "a tendency to cause trouble". In extreme cases, the woman may have been forced to enter an asylum or to undergo surgical hysterectomy.
Treatment
In the Western medical tradition, genital massage of a woman to orgasm by a physician or midwife was a standard treatment for female hysteria, an ailment considered common and chronic in women. In fact, the introduction of the vibrator emerged from these treatments.
Criticism and Modern Perspective
The concept of female hysteria has been widely criticized as a catch-all diagnosis for a range of women's issues, often used to control and suppress women. Modern medicine no longer recognizes female hysteria as a condition. Today, many of the symptoms previously attributed to female hysteria are recognized as part of legitimate disorders, such as bipolar disorder and PTSD.
See Also
- Hysteria
- Hysterectomy
- Insane asylum
- Vibrator (sex toy)
- Genital massage
- Bipolar disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Female hysteria
- Wikipedia's article - Female hysteria
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