# treating hysteria was a lucrative business > The pelvic massage was a highly lucrative staple of many medical practices in 19th-century London, with repeat business all but guaranteed.[[(Aitkenhead, 2012)#^mlzte]] - repeat business - 75% of the female population suffering from it > But in fact these women were suffering from straightforward sexual frustration – and by the mid-19th century the problem had reached epidemic proportions, said to afflict up to 75% of the female population [[(Aitkenhead, 2012)]]