From the website:
Hysteria is a term that was first coined by Hippocrates and described a medical condition peculiar to women; he considered it to be a symptom of irregular blood-movement from the uterus to the brain. The idea lasted through most of history, and in 1653 appears the first text that shows that the doctors of the era were using clitoral stimulation as a remedy for the nebulous ailment. Because of the limited technology of the time, this therapy had to be conducted by hand … er, uh … manually … A-HEM! … you get the point … anyway, this could be quite tiring for the doctors and midwives. The goal of treatment was for the patient to reach “paroxysm” which could take up to an hour to attain, but once reached would/should/could relieve hysterical symptoms for a while. When a treatment takes an hour of manual stimulation, of course doctors are going to try to find a gadget or device to make things easier.

I guess it should go without saying that this article left me hysterical. So to speak. You’ll see lots more obscure history today at Miss Cellania.