The best thing I learned about orgasms today

So I was reading this book called The Birth House (for all you birth junkies out there it's great, go read). And it was talking about a diagnosis doctors used to give women, hysteria. Basically, the good old docs said that when a woman took too much on herself she would develop hysteria. This could only be cured by the laborsome chore of massaging the poor woman's genitals (called "pelvic massage") into "hysterical paroxysm." AKA mind-blowing orgasm.

This was a horrible chore for a doctor to have to endure. His hand would often ache and become tired or cramped. Of course, this treatment was only recommended to single women, spinsters, or widows. Married women were just told to go home and bang their husbands.

Because of the widespread nature of this affliction, the first vibrator was marketed. Doctors were, of course, overjoyed to be rid of the cursed hour of cramped hands that ended in afterglow. This little wonder called the vibrator took that job down to ten minutes! And the good doctors were able to write their charts afterward, on account of the no hand crampies and all.

Poor women. Thank heavens the good doctors were there to deliver them from hysteria.