Vibrators and Hysteria

In the 19 nineties, technology historian rachel mains hypothesied that doctors may have used vibrators on women patients to simulate a hysterical paroxysm. Hysteria was once a frequent diagnosis for a broad range of os in women, everything from anxiety to sexual appetite. In recent years, other historians have pushed back, saying there isn't enough evidence to support the idea that doctors actually used vibrators and orgasms in this way as a way to treat hysteria. But this question about what vibrators were for and how they were used has followed the vibrator throughout its history - including as it left the doctor's office and entered the home.