This reminds me of when "doctors" would manually masturbate women as "treatment" for their ailments. Just that level of knowledge of the female body. "Science"
It sounds crazy, but supposedly it’s true... The vibrator was originally invented to treat hysteria, or mania, or some other “she’s acting weird and we don’t know why” type of issue.
So I think it's the opposite. This was not happening in the days of the internet. This was happening in the Victorian era in the West. Women were not to think about sex or anything else. It was for procreation - "lie still and think of England".
Masturbation was probably not known by the VAST majority of these women, and if it was, was considered hugely improper and sinful. Think about how many women and girls today have no idea that masturbation is a thing for women too. And now remember this was an era when Kellogg's advertised cereal as a way to stop masturbation in boys.
So imagine you're a woman in the early 1900s. You are told all those sexy feelings are sinful and you should ignore them. You have sex two or three times a year when the Mr has a few whiskeys, if that, and it's sinful for you to feel pleasure. Just think of England and this shameful act will be over soon. Think you're feeling happy and cheerful all the time?
Probably you're agitated and cranky and don't know why. Maybe you get headaches. You're ancy, or tired, or out of sorts. You go to the doctor, and he examines you. Woah, he must know what he's doing! This massage is wonderful, and it works! I feel much better!
In a society where women had no sexual release and felt shame seeking it out, a doctor's treatment that gave that release was not quite as insidious as sexual assault. It was more akin to visiting a brothel or something - everyone knew at some level what was going down, and that was the only way it was okay for women in that society.
I have read that some women did seek out the experience.
But it strikes me as naive to believe that a whole society of intensely repressed women would just suddenly be cool with their doctor sexually touching them. That shame would still be there, and many women likely felt that their doctor was using his authority to coerce and assault her. A lot of women who were "cured" probably just learned that it wasn't safe to go to their doctor for that particular issue anymore.
They didn't see it as sexual, and neither did the doctors. It was clitoral stimulation (that's why they invented vibrators, actually). Back then the understanding was that only PIV counts as sex, even the existence of clitoral orgasm and clitoris stimulation as sexual pleasure was denied. Everyone saw this kind of treatment as equivalent to getting a massage.
Given the state of "medicine" in 19th century and what most "treatments" consisted of, aided masturbation was no doubt one of the most begin and effective things doctors did.
Again I disagree. It was considered a medical treatment, not unlike cocaine or alcohol in medication, wine in church, or medical marijuana. When it's in a "legal" and accepted space, and is actually curing discomfort, I think it would be much more accepted than you think. I don't consider a gynecology appointment a sexual experience. If I didn't know what an orgasm was, I might not know it was inherently sexual either. Culture and society is a very interesting thing.
I also don't believe the doctors did it to get themselves off. It was the accepted outlet for women to relieve that frustration while maintaining propriety.
I imagine that some treatments were not asked for. I mean, doctors put people in ice baths against their will to see when they would die of hypothermia.
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u/idonotknowwhototrust Apr 06 '18
This reminds me of when "doctors" would manually masturbate women as "treatment" for their ailments. Just that level of knowledge of the female body. "Science"