It was not uncommon for Victorian doctors to encounter female patients with hysteria. Symptoms included ongoing anxiety, irritability, and a bloated stomach.

Blame for this condition, which is no longer recognized by medical professionals, was attributed to the woman's womb. The prescribed treatment was a "pelvic massage" to induce "hysterical paroxysm" -- basically, an orgasm, which would supposedly restore the woman to full health.

Providing pelvic massages was a routine part of most Victorian doctors work, as it had been for centuries before. But, as accounts in contemporary medical journals attest, it was tedious, boring and physically demanding work.

Dr. J. Mortimer Granville pioneered the labor-saving vibrator in the 1880s, when his electromechanical invention was patented. Originally used purely as a medical instrument, its immense generator restricted the vibrator to permanent installation in the doctor's surgery.

However, it became very popular with Victorian and Edwardian women, who sought to acquire personal devices and transport it from the surgery to the room of their choice. The benefits of handheld electric current carried out of the doctor's office and into the world of beauty and pleasure.