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[UXLZ]

Explanation, plz?

[Baffler]

The nineteenth century was a strange time.

While I was trying to find hysteria (the Def Leppard song) I discovered female hysteria. The distinction is made in the literature of the period between male and female hysteria, but they're both highly nebulous. It's basically a catchall diagnosis given back then to women with anxiety problems, or malaise that wasn't very serious but didn't correspond to any known illness. It was thought that fluids essential to reproduction at normal levels built up to unsafe degrees and became dangerous in a woman's body while she was under the stress "increasingly asserting itself in modern civilized society" and that it needed to be released by means of a procedure called hysterical paroxysm, known today as an "orgasm," or she would eventually go insane. It was extremely commonly diagnosed, and doctors were required to... stimulate patients in order to treat the disease. The craziest part by far is that the whole thing was seen as entirely non sexual by doctors, who often complained about the procedure, and by the general public; even decades after hysteria was discredited as a valid medical concern.

[UXLZ]

The nineteenth century was a strange time.

While I was trying to find hysteria (the Def Leppard song) I discovered female hysteria. The distinction is made in the literature of the period between male and female hysteria, but they're both highly nebulous. It's basically a catchall diagnosis given back then to women with anxiety problems, or malaise that wasn't very serious but didn't correspond to any known illness. It was thought that fluids essential to reproduction at normal levels built up to unsafe degrees and became dangerous in a woman's body while she was under the stress "increasingly asserting itself in modern civilized society" and that it needed to be released by means of a procedure called hysterical paroxysm, known today as an "orgasm," or she would eventually go insane. It was extremely commonly diagnosed, and doctors were required to... stimulate patients in order to treat the disease. The craziest part by far is that the whole thing was seen as entirely non sexual by doctors, who often complained about the procedure, and by the general public; even decades after hysteria was discredited as a valid medical concern.

Yeah, it was quite the strange time indeed. Hell, I don't think that can even be classified as sexist.
It led to the invention of the vibrator too, IIRC, so tired doctors didn't have to stimulate the women themselves. (I guess masturbation was frowned heavily upon or feared? Something to do with religion maybe.)

[ChairmanPoo]

The craziest part by far is that the whole thing was seen as entirely non sexual by doctors, who often complained about the procedure

Not that weird. In fact I think that excessive attention is put onthat point, and it's vaguely reminiscent on the jokes/stereotype about "how lucky gynecologists are" (when in fact they have to deal with pretty gross stuff).

I'd say that having as part of your official workload to stimulate women to the point of orgasm regardless of their attractiveness or unattractiveness to the performer basically turned them into prostitutes. No wonder they were fed up with it. 

[the1337doofus]

...Today's WTF is brought to you by Reddit, and the letter R!

So yeah. Saw something about a post on Reddit today, where the guy was threatening to take Open Carrier's guns if he saw them. There are so many problems with this I can't even begin to list them all. So instead I'll say:
What does he expect to accomplish other than A: Get either beaten to a pulp, or shot, and B: Get charged with a felony?

[Frumple]

C: Post attention-grabbing nonsense on reddit. This has apparently been accomplished.

[Quartz_Mace]

The nineteenth century was a strange time.

While I was trying to find hysteria (the Def Leppard song) I discovered female hysteria. The distinction is made in the literature of the period between male and female hysteria, but they're both highly nebulous. It's basically a catchall diagnosis given back then to women with anxiety problems, or malaise that wasn't very serious but didn't correspond to any known illness. It was thought that fluids essential to reproduction at normal levels built up to unsafe degrees and became dangerous in a woman's body while she was under the stress "increasingly asserting itself in modern civilized society" and that it needed to be released by means of a procedure called hysterical paroxysm, known today as an "orgasm," or she would eventually go insane. It was extremely commonly diagnosed, and doctors were required to... stimulate patients in order to treat the disease. The craziest part by far is that the whole thing was seen as entirely non sexual by doctors, who often complained about the procedure, and by the general public; even decades after hysteria was discredited as a valid medical concern.

Why were old medical personnel idiots?

[pisskop]

The nineteenth century was a strange time.

While I was trying to find hysteria (the Def Leppard song) I discovered female hysteria. The distinction is made in the literature of the period between male and female hysteria, but they're both highly nebulous. It's basically a catchall diagnosis given back then to women with anxiety problems, or malaise that wasn't very serious but didn't correspond to any known illness. It was thought that fluids essential to reproduction at normal levels built up to unsafe degrees and became dangerous in a woman's body while she was under the stress "increasingly asserting itself in modern civilized society" and that it needed to be released by means of a procedure called hysterical paroxysm, known today as an "orgasm," or she would eventually go insane. It was extremely commonly diagnosed, and doctors were required to... stimulate patients in order to treat the disease. The craziest part by far is that the whole thing was seen as entirely non sexual by doctors, who often complained about the procedure, and by the general public; even decades after hysteria was discredited as a valid medical concern.

Why were old medical personnel idiots?

In 100 years theyll be calling us morons

[Mech#4]

Well they were highly educated, well informed medical practitioners. For their time of course, 200 years ago. S'like... various illnesses were attributed to the build up of negative humours within the body or the... liver, I think, wandering around the body interfering with other organs proper functionality.


I remember reading up on ancient Egyptian medical practices and, aside from a few hokey things like using crushed minerals for cures, most of the procedures had a rather solid basis. Things like determining the severity of a head injury, remedies for malaria, preventing blood loss and what materials to use for sutures.

[flabort]

So I was thinking of some custom card design, you know because somebody brought up MtG (The Turing machine is actually a rather interesting process if overcomplicated, and a near impossible game-state to reach), when I discovered that there is a card just like the one I was designing, but cheaper and a cantrip to boot. Darn.
Oh, well, it's not like custom cards are tournament legal anyways.

[Putnam]

The nineteenth century was a strange time.

While I was trying to find hysteria (the Def Leppard song) I discovered female hysteria. The distinction is made in the literature of the period between male and female hysteria, but they're both highly nebulous. It's basically a catchall diagnosis given back then to women with anxiety problems, or malaise that wasn't very serious but didn't correspond to any known illness. It was thought that fluids essential to reproduction at normal levels built up to unsafe degrees and became dangerous in a woman's body while she was under the stress "increasingly asserting itself in modern civilized society" and that it needed to be released by means of a procedure called hysterical paroxysm, known today as an "orgasm," or she would eventually go insane. It was extremely commonly diagnosed, and doctors were required to... stimulate patients in order to treat the disease. The craziest part by far is that the whole thing was seen as entirely non sexual by doctors, who often complained about the procedure, and by the general public; even decades after hysteria was discredited as a valid medical concern.

Why were old medical personnel idiots?

In 100 years theyll be calling us morons

Do they call the astronomers of 60 years ago morons for not having already discovered extrasolar planets?

[Lord Shonus]

The nineteenth century was a strange time.

While I was trying to find hysteria (the Def Leppard song) I discovered female hysteria. The distinction is made in the literature of the period between male and female hysteria, but they're both highly nebulous. It's basically a catchall diagnosis given back then to women with anxiety problems, or malaise that wasn't very serious but didn't correspond to any known illness. It was thought that fluids essential to reproduction at normal levels built up to unsafe degrees and became dangerous in a woman's body while she was under the stress "increasingly asserting itself in modern civilized society" and that it needed to be released by means of a procedure called hysterical paroxysm, known today as an "orgasm," or she would eventually go insane. It was extremely commonly diagnosed, and doctors were required to... stimulate patients in order to treat the disease. The craziest part by far is that the whole thing was seen as entirely non sexual by doctors, who often complained about the procedure, and by the general public; even decades after hysteria was discredited as a valid medical concern.

Why were old medical personnel idiots?

It's not as stupid as it seems. Sexual deprivation was at the heart of a lot of the mental issues of wellborn women of the era (which is also one reason why many of Freud's theories are bunk, most of his work was conducted on wellborn ladies who's troubles he extrapolated to be fundamental truths about humanity as a whole) due to the social customs of the day, so the treatment really did help, even if it wasn't for the reasons that they thought it was. Keep in mind that this was the Dark Ages of medicine, when we were only just beginning to go beyond medical concepts that dated back to the Ancient Greeks, and the notion of sexual fluids being an essential body component was nothing more than a logical extrapolation of the then-accepted knowledge as a fifth humor.

[pisskop]

Do they call the astronomers of 60 years ago morons for not having already discovered extrasolar planets?

The youth do

[Putnam]

Hell, we use physicists from 80 years ago as examples of genius rather than idiocy. The name "Einstein" is literally synonymous with "smart person".

[pisskop]

mmm.  Indeed some of my greatest.. influences?... come from the 19th-20th century.

  Its hard to imagine the day when their work is obsoleted.  Some of their workalready is.