The history of the vibrator (This is so ridiculous!)

In the beginning

For many years it was held that various diseases that afflicted women were due to ‘hysteria’ and that their uterus complained of abandonment. In fact, Plato seems to have thought that the womb was ‘an animal within an animal’ and that it had to be pacified if it got out of hand.

Everything from tiredness, headaches, distractibility, melancholy and insomnia, irregular breathing and confusion were thought to be due to ‘hysteria’. Highly sexual or passionate women were considered to be the most affected, as men obviously thought that was strange.

Therefore, there was little doubt in their minds that the cause of all their problems was sexual frustration and that they desired sexual liberation.

How did they cure her?

You will never believe this!

A doctor or midwife had to manipulate the woman’s vulva, which in those days was thought to be part of the uterus. This manual massage continued until there were contractions and lubrication. This was often called the ‘hysterical paroxysm’ (now called the orgasm).

The women would feel so much better after that! It’s hard to believe, but this form of manual massage until women had an orgasm seems to have been used as a treatment for sexual problems as early as the 4th-5th centuries.

Initially the midwives dealt with all the sexual and reproductive difficulties of women. But soon modern medicine would get involved and doctors, it seems, took the treatment very seriously.

‘Hysteria’ was considered to be a prevalent disorder, second only to ‘fevers’, or the classic cold. It was also classified as a chronic disease that was incurable.

Single women with ‘hysteria’ were frequently urged to marry vivacious husbands and then forcefully and repeatedly make love making sure the women were sexually liberated. Horse riding was also recommended!

After a while, other therapies were also offered, including manipulation with a water jet (the cold shower).

Orgasm usually occurred within a few minutes of such treatment. However, it became clear that several patients asked for more treatment than was ‘good for them’. It is not surprising that in the 19th century it was quite common for women to visit their doctor’s office repeatedly. After all, masturbation was still considered a sin, so what choice did they have?

Today’s vibrator was at its start

A ‘revolution for weary physicians came in 1869 when steam-powered vibration and massage equipment for the treatment of female problems was patented. It was designed for supervised use only, in case of misuse.

The motor was connected to the table and a patient placed his pelvis on top of the vibrating ball on the table.

It was considered a perfect invention, saving doctors a great deal of time and consequently allowing them to see more “sick people”.

Most doctors had trouble treating patients with their own fingers, and this new device would be a godsend. They could complete in minutes tasks that could have taken up to an hour instead.

Other extraordinary techniques were also used, for example, gasoline and air powered shake tables, swivel chairs, swivel chairs and many others.

The women didn’t realize it, of course, but they were getting their ‘therapy’ for the same reason women now use sexual aids: to relieve sexual frustration.

What seems strange to us now is that it was considered normal for women during the Victorian era to call their doctor to acquire sexual pleasure and relief that they did not get at home.

‘Rachel Maines’, historian and author states that because it was thought that women could only obtain sexual pleasure through vaginal penetration, these peculiar ‘remedies’ were not seen as a sexual encounter.

Subsequently, since wearing them did not involve the vagina, it was not sexual contact, simply a medical procedure! In

the 16th century Gabriel Fallopius claimed to be the first person to discover the clitoris. “It is so hidden that I was the first to discover it, several years ago,” he proclaimed.

At the same time, however, it seems that ‘Pietro d’Abano’ was the only one who understood what the clitoris was for. He proclaimed: “Women are driven to desire…by rubbing the upper orifice near the pubis. The pleasure to be obtained from this part of the body is comparable to that obtained from the tip of the penis.”

Despite this, both society and the medical profession continued to deny it for four hundred years! In fact, both gynecologists and sexologists continued to deny the clitoris and its purpose well into the 1980s.

the next phase

About twenty years after the steam vibrator, a more versatile battery-powered vibrator became available.

By the early 20th century, there were at least two dozen different types of vibrators available to the medical profession.

Soon, entrepreneurs saw the potential to produce vibrators and sell them directly to women. They were marketed as normal household appliances rather than for sexual use. They were promoted in reputable publications as ‘aids every woman would appreciate’. In fact, these particular devices were only the fifth household appliance after the kettle, the toaster, the sewing machine, and the fan.

Throughout the 1920s, early ‘naughty movies’ and early pornography featured women using these ‘massagers’ for sexual pleasure. But, as a result of this, by the 1930s they were no longer openly promoted and their medical use was stopped.

modern vibrators

Fortunately, the notion of hysteria as a disease was discarded in the 1950s.

the vibrator It was popular again during the 1960s and this time in all its sexual glory.

Masters and Johnson used vibrators in their research on sexuality in the late 1960s. Penis-shaped vibrators were beginning to be sold in sex shops, and mail order was becoming common.

Feminist author and sex therapist Betty Dodson began teaching masturbation workshops in 1971, focusing on the use of vibrators. She claims that she was the first to introduce electric vibrators exclusively for sexual use.

In 1974, Joani Blank published ‘Good Vibrations’: The Complete Guide to Vibrators. Ella Joani invented the ‘Venus Butterfly’ vibrator and in 1977 she opened ‘Good Vibrations’, the first sex shop dedicated entirely to the vibrator.

Today, women universally view their vibrator as part of their sexual freedom and independence.

Vibrators now come in all shapes and sizes and many women use them regularly to work out their ‘hysteria’.

Thank God for the 21st century!