Dr. J. Mortimer Granville invented the electric vibrator in the 1880s. Originally, it was a tool used by doctors to treat muscle aches, but it was soon put to use on women who suffered from “hysteria.” By the early 1900s, the electric vibrator was being advertised in newspapers as a cure-all.
While none of the early advertisements mentioned women and orgasms, women were often pictured in the ads as those who benefitted most from the device.
The female orgasm was mostly ignored until the 1960s. Before then, women suffered in the bedroom and many women believed that sex was a chore to please their husbands.
The lack of orgasms made plenty of women feeling depressed or “hysterical.” The only cure for them was to go to the doctor and receive a manual orgasm from him.
No doubt there were plenty of doctors who felt this was a chore they could do without. When the electric vibrator came onto the medical scene, women were suddenly getting orgasms in the doctor’s office at a more efficient rate.
It did not take long after that before the electric vibrator moved into the home. It was advertised as a stimulation for the blood, a clearer of congestion, and an aid to digestion.
Of course, women knew what the vibrator was really for, and if she didn’t know right away, she would figure it out.
