Female Hysteria - a snapshot of women's history

The term "female hysteria" or "wandering womb" was used from 4th Century BC  to the 19th century and declined when psychology became more understood. Today we don't use either term. Thankfully, we have doctors who understand how the female body functions, gynecologists.

Basic Beliefs  On Hysteria

What was considered female hysteria?  It was considered common, chronic, and only applied to women. Here's a list.

Hysteria Symptoms
- anxiety  -shortness of breath  - fainting  -nervousness - sexual desire  -insomnia
 - fluid retention (periods)  -heaviness in the abdomen  - irritability
- loss of food/sexual appetite  -being sexually forward  - being a troublemaker

If you laughed or cringed at that list and pointed out several symptoms had several explanations (including "I don't want to have sex with Mr. X" or pregnancy) you will be glad to know this is no longer a valid diagnosis. Most of these have to do with being female, or human, in general.

It was believed by the Greeks that the womb wandered around the body causing disease and pain for the woman, like a live animal. While some denied this theory, they didn't deny the hysteria. It was also believed by Galen that this was a widow's disease because a female's "seed" turned to venom if "retained in the womb". (In shorter terms, if you didn't get pregnant, you had a period.) Beliefs ranged from the medieval assumption of demonic possession to an 18th to 19th-century mental illness. Some also believed it more commonly affected widows, women with children, women with regular periods, and forward women deprived of sex.

What  Happened To These Women

Sadly and tragically, some of these women ended up in asylums or had a hysterectomy happen to them. Both, in some cases.  

We now come to the cure for this "disease". Here are some nifty guidelines of who did what. 

4th and 5th century:

- Special Fragrances under nose or lady parts  - Sex  - ointment rubbed on lady parts (by a midwife) 

Middle ages to early modern:

- sex  -marriage and pregnancy  - manual stimulation with scents or oils (by a midwife) 

18th Century:

- sanitarium/asylums (considered mental illness, not related to Uterus)

19th Century:

 - Manual stimulation (doctor-given or midwife-given unknown)  - the vibrator (debated)

Treatment within sanitariums/asylums

In the asylums, hysterectomy and other female surgeries became an option. Be aware that some asylums just threw everyone in a dark hole, or through various "treatments" caused the sane to become insane. Some became slaves. Hysteria may have been used as an excuse by some (not all) men to get rid of wives or unconventional, trouble-making women in their lives. *Warning, looking up what went on in old asylums may make it hard to sleep at night.* Do your research on this. If you can't handle dark things, heed my warning.

This has been a basic snapshot the diagnosis of Female Hysteria. It makes me glad we live in a time period where women's medicine and women's status has advanced. Do your research and check my facts, and if you want more on the topic of women's history comment below. 

Pictures:
Talk space
The Scotsman



https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/chm/outreach/trade_in_lunacy/research/womenandmadness/
https://www.lib.uwo.ca/archives/virtualexhibits/londonasylum/hysteria.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria