The early treatments for hysteria were based on the belief of the alleged cause, which is “sexual deprivation” of women. As stated earlier, the previous treatments of such disease is the pelvic massage, which required hours of hideous activity for medical practitioners. Such treatment brought about the invention of modern gadgets like electromechanical massage devices, which is now commonly called as the vibrator. According to Maines (1999) in his work entitled, The Technology of Orgasm: “Hysteria,” the Vibrator, and Women’s Sexual Satisfaction.
” She also mentioned that among the remedies for genital manipulations are manual massage and water propelled stimulation, steam powered devices, and electric powered devices. She furthered that “spa therapies used jets of waters aimed as female’s genitals to induce spasm and crises followed by periods of lassitude and insensibility where she clearly illustrates that bath was one of the most famous treatments for hysteria during the early period.
” She further stated that most of the physicians found difficulty in the tedious task of massage and that most of the female patients take hours to reach orgasm, which is the main treatment for the disease. Until came the invention of a massage device, which effectively shortened the time to reach “hysterical paroxysm”, a medical term for orgasm. Maines (1999) also mentioned in her book that during the turn of the mid 19th century, hydrotherapy device became available in baths and elite form bathing resorts became famous in Europe and in America.
Finally, Maines (1999) also mentioned the invention of a “clockwork-driven vibrator during the year 1870, and the first “electromechanical vibrator” during the year 1873, which was first utilized at an asylum in France as the primary treatment for hysteria. During the turn of the second century, Galen, a famous physician wrote about the cause of hysteria to be sexual deprivation specifically in the case of passionate women. This was based from the observation that hysteria was commonly manifested by virgins, nuns, and widows and only occasionally for married women.
Due to this observation, medical practitioners during the medieval and renaissance period was intercourse for married women get married for the single women and the last resort would be a pelvic massage from a medical practitioner. According to Morantz and Zschoche (1980), the most rational explanation for the occurrence of the disease were associated with the stresses caused by the rapid changes brought about by modern life which makes females become more vulnerable to nervous disorders that results to faulty reproductive tracts.
As the dawn of the early 20th century approaches, the diagnoses of hysteria has slowly been eradicated until it become unrecognized during the present times. The psychological diagnosis of such disorder has become clearly understood during the present times. The modern diagnosis of hysteria has become associated with Freud’s theory on anxiety neuroses, medical schizophrenia, and conversion disorder and anxiety attacks. As with the physical aspect of Hysteria, some home remedies have been discovered. The taking in of some required foods such as Jambul, Honey, Bottle Gourd, Lettuce, Rauwolfia, and Asafoetida.
Medical practitioners and researchers recommend specific dosages for the effective treatment of hysteria. As for the psychological aspect of the hysteria, the most recommended treatment is self-control by way of keeping one self-busy by occupying the mind. Therapies of such kind include self-control study sessions, which include educating the patients of the right habits of thinking. Other recommendations would include daily exercises and outdoor games as a means to draw attention. Finally, Yoga exercise is also one of the most common modern treatments that could be traced from the early centuries as to its origin.