Female hysteria: The history of a controversial 'condition'
Female hysteria: The history of a controversial 'condition' On this day in antiquity, Female Hysteria was diagnosed as a common disease that plagued womankind. The symptoms ranged from fainting to an amplified sex drive. Single ladies, widows, and the elderly were particularly vulnerable and required bi-weekly treatments. You’re probably wondering what the cure for such an infectious disease was? The ills of hysteria could be rubbed away by a mid-wife, hosed away with a high pressure shower, or in the worst case scenario; frequent sex with your spouse should do the trick. Female hysteria was once a common medical diagnosis for women, which was described as exhibiting a wide array of symptoms, including anxiety, shortness of breath, fainting, nervousness, sexual desire, insomnia, fluid retention, heaviness in the abdomen, irritability, loss of appetite for food or sex, (paradoxically) sexually forward behavior, and a "tendency to cause trouble for others". It is no lon...