# The Buzz: How the Vibrator Came to Be Aitkenhead, D. (2012) ’The buzz: how the vibrator came to be. The Guardian’, Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/07/how-the-vibrator-caused-buzz ## Notes - in 19th-century Britain, women suffering from chronic anxiety were prescribed pelvic finger massage - the vibrator was invented by victorian doctors as a medical device for bringing female patients to orgasm - hysteria was believed to be caused by sexual frustration - doctors took no pleasure from treating hysteria - treating hysteria was a lucrative business - the only consistent effective treatment for hysteria was pelvic massage - the hysterical paroxysm was never regarded as an orgasm as there was no penetration - symptoms of hysteria - The History of Anxiety & Hysterical Paroxysm %% ## Highlights ### [[in 19th-century Britain, women suffering from chronic anxiety were prescribed pelvic finger massage]] > In 19th-century Britain, women suffering from chronic anxiety prescribed pelvic finger massage. Doctors found this tedious and time-consuming, so they invented something to do the job for them ^v-79n [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnxwxr6zrwxd8h1jx50077jc) ### [[the vibrator was invented by victorian doctors as a medical device for bringing female patients to orgasm]] > The vibrator was, in fact, invented by respectable Victorian doctors, who grew tired of bringing female patients to orgasm using their fingers alone, and so dreamt up a device to do the job for them. Their invention was regarded as a reputable medical instrument – no more improper than a stethoscope – but became wildly popular among Victorian and Edwardian gentlewomen, who soon began buying vibrators for themselves. For its early customers, a vibrator was nothing to be embarrassed about – unlike, it's probably safe to assume, many members of the film's contemporary audience, not to mention some of its stars. ^1b83c [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnxwzywf3v6e1jb5ygz1zxjq) ### [[symptoms of hysteria]] > In 19th-century Britain, the condition known as hysteria – which the vibrator was invented to treat – was not a source of embarrassment at all. Hysteria's symptoms included chronic anxiety, irritability and abdominal heaviness, and early medical explanations were inclined to blame some or other fault in the uterus. ^0zown ### [[hysteria was believed to be caused by sexual frustration]] > 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. Yet because the very idea of female sexual arousal was proscribed in Victorian times, the condition was classed as non-sexual. It followed, therefore, that its cure would likewise be regarded as medical rather than sexual. ^d-ln1 [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnxx303r23p0vhbdvjegv57r) ### [[the only consistent effective treatment for hysteria was pelvic massage]] > The only consistently effective remedy was a treatment that had been practised by physicians for centuries, consisting of a "pelvic massage" – performed manually, until the patient reached a "hysterical paroxysm", after which she appeared miraculously restored. ^tnw70 ### [[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. ^mlzte ### [[doctors took no pleasure from treating hysteria]] > There is no evidence of any doctor taking pleasure from its provision; on the contrary, according to medical journals, most complained that it was tedious, time-consuming and physically tiring. This being the Victorian age of invention, the solution was obvious: devise a labour-saving device that would get the job done quicker. ^ci5pa [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnxx41td0ttmbhc5b6s97gtk) ### [[the hysterical paroxysm was never regarded as an orgasm as there was no penetration]] > Yet almost no one ever referred to the "hysterical paroxysm" as an orgasm – for how could it be? It was taken for granted in Victorian England that, in the absence of penetration, nothing sexual could possibly be taking place. A discreet veil of medical decorum survived until the late 1920s, when the appearance of vibrators in early porn films rendered the pretence untenable, and the vibrator promptly disappeared from polite public view. ^aerv7 [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gnxx7tmxvkkvaps0nm48zs1r)