Enters an obviously rich, elegant, prim, proper and perfectly coiffed lady, she seems in her early 40s, but is still very attractive. We hear her complain to her husband that she is “indisposed” today and would he please tell the help to call the doctor.
The young doctor rushes up the stairs while the servants whisper that milady has ‘female problems’ again. The lady of the house tells her doctor how she felt feverish and weak this morning. As she’s done countless times, she prepares herself for the medical procedure. She lies on the bed, legs wide spread, the doctor proceeds, with a businesslike and disinterested face, to masturbate her until she climaxes. He washes his hands and tells her he’ll send the bill to her husband’s office.
You think that came out of a bad porno movie? Thinkagain.
Maybe I’ve been living under a rock all these years, but as sure as hell didn’t know that these weird things were going on up until the 1st quarter of the 20th century. WTF?
I don’t know, I think medicine took a step back with the abolition of hysteria as a diagnosis. Think of the possibilities… “Doctors office? Yeah, can you pls. tell Dr. Softhands that I am feeling a bit hysterical today. Yes, I would like to make an appointment for today.” Yes, a step back.
I don’t know what’s weirder, the fact that most of these people didn’t see anything ‘sexual’ in this practice or the fact that husbands actually paid to have their wives and daughters masturbated.
No matter how hysterical I got I’d be too embarassed tomake an appointment for that actually.
And you’re right, I don’t know which is weirder. But then in this enlightened time we don’t have to pay anyone to masturbate us, we can do it ourselves with our handy BOB’s!
Why no, ma’am, I’m not a Doctor-just practicing while attending medical school. If you’d be kind enough to put your legs up here on my shoulders, I’ll get right to work
This practice is featured in The Road to Wellville by T Corraghessan Boyle, which was also made into a film starring Anthony Hopkins. I never saw the film version so I don’t know how it was depicted there.
Ferris Buehler was in it, too. It was so bizarre, I have difficulty recalling most of it. All’s I know is they were big on taking dumps (Lieu would love this flick!) and there was an awful lot of sex going on. I believe it was based on the real true Kellogg of corn flake fame. Or someone similar.
Kellogg is mentioned in one of these articles as been big against masturbation, which he considered the biggest threat to one’s health :rolleyes:
No wonder there was a lot of sex involved. He too had hydriatic treatments in his spas (think the old version of the hand-held showerhead or the jacuzzi )
Was it? Darnit I wish I’d paid more attention to the movie! I saw part of it once either on TV or on a bus ride but I got bored and tuned it out (or turned it off).
I have a book called The Technology of Orgasm (or something similar) that goes into manual and mechanical stimulation as a ‘cure’ for hysteria in depth.
I hope I don’t need to remind you that the Straight Dope frowns on self-diagnosis and self-treatment. You really should see a specialist in such matters. I’m sure that a line of “specialists” is forming to help you out, even as we speak.