Hysteria
Revision as of 09:19, 29 May 2023 by Robert Brockway (talk | contribs) (Partial import from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Female_hysteria&oldid=1153930610)
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/09/victorian-vibrators-orgasms-doctors/569446/
Hysteria was referred to as "the widow's disease", because the female semen was believed to turn venomous if not released through regular climax or intercourse. If the patient was married, this could be completed by intercourse with their spouse. Other than participating in sexual intercourse, it was thought that fumigating the body with special fragrances would supposedly draw the uterus back to its natural spot in the female body. Foul smells applied to the nose would drive it down, and pleasant scents at the vulva would attract it.