Hippocrates, Hysteria and Antidote

[donttakenostuff]

I was reading an article in the alternative press, and there was an interesting query about Victorian doctors and their cures for hysterical women; of course, men were never hysterical . Interestingly enough, Hippocrates advocated sneezing as an antidote for hysteria. Hum, I think we women all need to be a little hysterical and just start sneezing incessantly so that we can cure it . I wonder whether hysterical women during Hippocrates' era sneezed naturally, or did they induce to rid themselves of hysteria?

[King_of_the_ruins]

I was reading an article in the alternative press, and there was an interesting query about Victorian doctors and their cures for hysterical women; of course, men were never hysterical . Interestingly enough, Hippocrates advocated sneezing as an antidote for hysteria. Hum, I think we women all need to be a little hysterical and just start sneezing incessantly so that we can cure it . I wonder whether hysterical women during Hippocrates' era sneezed naturally, or did they induce to rid themselves of hysteria?

wouldn't it be fun to travel back in time to find out?

[donttakenostuff]

I was reading an article in the alternative press, and there was an interesting query about Victorian doctors and their cures for hysterical women; of course, men were never hysterical . Interestingly enough, Hippocrates advocated sneezing as an antidote for hysteria. Hum, I think we women all need to be a little hysterical and just start sneezing incessantly so that we can cure it . I wonder whether hysterical women during Hippocrates' era sneezed naturally, or did they induce to rid themselves of hysteria?

wouldn't it be fun to travel back in time to find out?

Yes, wouldn't that be lovely. Hum, I wonder if these were closet sneezers, or if the antidote was administered in public .Maybe there were "sneezing dens." like there were bath houses. Okay, I'm pushing fantasy beyond the boundaries. .

[King_of_the_ruins]

I was reading an article in the alternative press, and there was an interesting query about Victorian doctors and their cures for hysterical women; of course, men were never hysterical . Interestingly enough, Hippocrates advocated sneezing as an antidote for hysteria. Hum, I think we women all need to be a little hysterical and just start sneezing incessantly so that we can cure it . I wonder whether hysterical women during Hippocrates' era sneezed naturally, or did they induce to rid themselves of hysteria?

wouldn't it be fun to travel back in time to find out?

Yes, wouldn't that be lovely. Hum, I wonder if these were closet sneezers, or if the antidote was administered in public .Maybe there were "sneezing dens." like there were bath houses. Okay, I'm pushing fantasy beyond the boundaries. .

no, it's your fantasy, and you can take it as far as you want!

[SneezeLike]

It was impossible for men to get hysteria because you need a uterus to have had 'hysteria'. Hysteria as a diagnosis was still in the DSM until at least the middle of the 20th century. It was believed the uterus was the cause of the idsorder which was usualy some kind of uncaused extreme emotions such as fear and or dispair and usually has a loss of self-control too. Sometimes promiscuos women in victorian times would plead hysteria when confronted on the issue.

Also, notice how hysteria and hysterectomy have the same root?

Your friendly, neighborhood doc,

SL

I was reading an article in the alternative press, and there was an interesting query about Victorian doctors and their cures for hysterical women; of course, men were never hysterical . Interestingly enough, Hippocrates advocated sneezing as an antidote for hysteria. Hum, I think we women all need to be a little hysterical and just start sneezing incessantly so that we can cure it . I wonder whether hysterical women during Hippocrates' era sneezed naturally, or did they induce to rid themselves of hysteria?

[donttakenostuff]

It was impossible for men to get hysteria because you need a uterus to have had 'hysteria'. Hysteria as a diagnosis was still in the DSM until at least the middle of the 20th century. It was believed the uterus was the cause of the idsorder which was usualy some kind of uncaused extreme emotions such as fear and or dispair and usually has a loss of self-control too. Sometimes promiscuos women in victorian times would plead hysteria when confronted on the issue.

Also, notice how hysteria and hysterectomy have the same root?

Your friendly, neighborhood doc,

SL

I was reading an article in the alternative press, and there was an interesting query about Victorian doctors and their cures for hysterical women; of course, men were never hysterical . Interestingly enough, Hippocrates advocated sneezing as an antidote for hysteria. Hum, I think we women all need to be a little hysterical and just start sneezing incessantly so that we can cure it . I wonder whether hysterical women during Hippocrates' era sneezed naturally, or did they induce to rid themselves of hysteria?

Yes, I know that. They also believed that the uterus wandered throughout the woman's body, and this was one of the major reasons for hysteria. However, the male doctors prescribed stimulation of the clitoris as an antidote for hysteria, but they gave this task to the mid-wives to perform on the hysterical women. Freud disapproved of this form of relieving hysteria. And the rest is (his)story. Now hysterical women take anti-anxiety pills and engage in talk therapy. I still think Hippocrates had a point by advocating sneezing as a cure. Interesting little tidbit from a non-medical doctor, but an authority in women's studies.

Your friendly Ph.D.,

professor058