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The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction
 
 
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The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction [Hardcover]

Ms. Rachel P. Maines (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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For centuries, women diagnosed with "hysteria"--a "disease paradigm," in Rachel P. Maines's felicitous phrase, thought to result from a lack of sexual intercourse or gratification--were treated by massaging their genitals in order to induce "paroxysm." Male physicians, however, considered the practice drudgery, and sought various ways of avoiding the task, often foisting it off on midwives or, starting in the late 19th century, employing mechanical devices. Eventually, these devices became available for purchase and home use; one such "portable vibrator" is advertised in the 1918 Sears, Roebuck catalog as an "aid that every woman appreciates." The Technology of Orgasm is an impeccably researched history that combines a discussion of hysteria in the Western medical tradition with a detailed examination (including several illustrations) of the devices used to "treat" the "condition." (Maines is somewhat dismissive of the contemporary, phallus-shaped models, which she describes as "underpowered battery-operated toys," insisting that "it is the AC-powered vibrator with at least one working surface at a right angle to the handle that is best designed for application to the clitoral area.") Don't expect any cheap thrills, though; the titillation Maines offers is strictly intellectual. --Ron Hogan

From Publishers Weekly

It will surprise most readers to learn that the vibrator was invented in the late 1880s as a time-saving device for physicians, who had been treating women's "hysteria" for years with clitoral massage. Denying the sexual nature of the treatments, doctors instead saw the technique as a burdensome chore and welcomed electric devices that would shorten patients' visits. Maines, an independent scholar in the history of technology, presents a straightforward account of the mechanism from its beginning through the 1920s, when it came into disrepute as a medical instrument. Going far beyond a mere summary of therapeutic advances, however, she wryly chronicles the attitude toward women's sexuality in the medical and psychological professions and shows, with searing insight, how some ancient biases are still prevalent in our society. Maines's writing is lively and entertaining, and her research is exhaustive, drawing on texts from Hippocrates to the present day. Proving her point about how women's sexuality is still perceived as an unapproachable subject in some quarters, Maines describes her travails in vibrator historiography, including the loss of her teaching position at Clarkson University. A pioneering and important book, this window into social and technological history also provides a marvelously clear view of contemporary ideas about women's sexuality.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
In 1653 Pieter van Foreest, called Alemarianus Petrus Forestus, published a medical compendium titled Observationem et Carationem Medicinalium ac Chirurgicarum opera Omnia, with chapter on the diseases of women. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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14 Reviews
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4.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, Sep 25 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction (Paperback)
This book is utterly fascinating! Written by a woman who's really done her homework on the subject, The Technology of Orgasm proves to be a captivating historical account of the evolution of society's perceptions of women's sexuality. It's a must-read for a woman who's confident in her sexuality, or would like to become more so.
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4.0 out of 5 stars hysteric paroxysm, Aug 1 2002
By 
Jessica Jernigan (Mt. Pleasant, Mi.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction (Paperback)
for centuries, troubled -- or troubling -- women were diagnosed with "hysteria." the classic treatment for this vague malady was inducement of the "hysteric paroxysm" -- known to us contemporary types as the orgasm. according to rachel maines's wryly hilarious history, the first mechanical vibrators were labor-saving devices for doctors tired of inducing orgasm in their patients manually. who knew? this book is clearly her dissertation & primarily intended for academics, but i found it mind-blowing & frequently quite amusing. i frequently recommend it to friends & colleagues looking for a quick, smart, engaging read.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Not too bad, Jun 1 2002
By 
"bahlul" (Caloundra, Queensland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction (Hardcover)
Firstly let me say I enjoyed and recommend this book, yet
have taken issue with some of the opinions expressed as if
they are fact.

Well I guess that is the way people write, but take for example, on page 5 of this book the author writes: "The
androcentric definition of sex as an activity recognizes
three essential steps: preparation for penetration
("foreplay"), penetration, and male orgasism."

That is not an androcentric definition of sex,
that is the procreational definition of sex. I do wish
historians could lay off the conspiracy theory, as
there is too much of it running like a theoretical flaw
throughout this book. In an age where effective
contraception is routine, many men and women blithely and
conveniently forgetting the historical roots of intercourse.
It is like people in the city do occasionally naively forget where bottled milk comes from.
The passage continues
"Sexual activity that does not involve at least the last two
has not been popularly or medically (and for that matter
legally) regarded as "the real thing."
There is the rub. Of course it is not regarded as the real
thing, as without it there is no chance of procreation. Surprise
surprise, sex is actually in reality about procreation in
the final analysis. Otherwise it becomes a mere example of
persistent human sensual trivia in the grand scheme of
things, and is moving away from actual sex into merely 'having orgasisms' --- which is a different thing.

But instead the survival of human race actually depends on
the 'real thing' and that is for better or worse the reality of it. Well it did so fully depend until recent times when laboratories can increasingly at times help sperm get it touch with ova.

Beside my criticism of a sly bad vibe of jingoistic
femimism running thru this book it is nonetheless a
worthwhile opinionated exploration into some fairly recent
history of Western medical practice and popular 'culture'
involving the use of vibrators.

Recommended. The book that is. ;-/

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