The History Of Vibrators

The vibrators owe their origin to the attitude of the late 18^th and early 19^th century doctors. During those days, the prescribed treatment to treat hysteria in women consisted of stimulating their genital regions. The doctors did it manually and they considered it very time consuming. The invention of vibrators changed all this as the doctors could treat more women in lesser time. The reason of this hysteria in women had to do with sexual un-fulfillment, so, the doctors enjoyed a steady stream of patients. No wonder, the vibrators were held responsible for saving many a marriages. During those times, in a sexually repressive society, women’s needs were generally left unaddressed. So, the vibrators became a necessity, though it had still not entered the house and were to be found only with doctors. With the sexual revolution, the vibrator became the symbol of freedom, and gave liberty to the woman to be on her own and not a slave to the lust of man. Once again, it found its way into married life where it was used to counter unsympathetic husbands. Vibrators also gave the woman an alternative choice other than man. It can rightly be said that vibrator is the key that unlocked the gates that freed woman from the shackles of their better half. Read the article given below to learn more on the interesting and amazing information on the origin and background of vibrators.

 

The first steam powered vibrator originated in the year 1870 in Britain. Rather than a sexual device, the early vibrators were used to treat "congestion of the genitalia" and "female hysteria". The treatment consisted of stimulating the female genitalia until a “paroxysm” is reached. Due to the tedious nature of the job, the doctors then used a jet of water to stimulate the reproductive organ. It was also known as hydrotherapy and it became quite popular.

 

Since the doctors considered the job time consuming, the need for an effective stimulator was felt. The discovery of steam and the harnessing of its power provided the answer. The mid-1870s saw the invention of “The Manipulator”. This machine consisted of a table with an area for the woman’s pelvis. A vibrating sphere powered by a steam engine then carried on the stimulation. Since it was bulky and importable it just managed to occupy a niche market.

 

The first battery driven vibrator was manufactured in the early 1880’s by Weiss. The notable feature of this vibrator was that it had several interchangeable ‘vibratodes’. With the advent of electricity, vibrators running on electric power also appeared on the scene. The first electric vibrator was patented in the year 1902 by an American company. The main advantage of electrical vibrators was that the vibrations were rapid. The electrical vibrators were found to deliver vibrations at the rate of 1000 to 7000 pulses per minute. It also came in a number of models like portable, floor-standing to the bizarre carpenter vibrator. Till the end of the 19^th century most of the vibrators were used by doctors to treat ‘patients’.  

 

During the early 20^th century, vibrators entered the homes. However, these were noisy and bulky. Only much later were hand-cranked versions became available. In addition, when the vibrators became available at homes, it was gradually phased out from the medical world. During the 1920s the vibrators began to be associated with loose morals and so it nearly disappeared from the mainstream society. However, the sexual revolution of the 1960s proved to be the rebirth of vibrators. It was then that vibrators entered adult bookstores and retail outlets.