The steam-powered vibrator

In an era when female sexuality was looked down upon, doctors came up with a convenient diagnosis for any and all symptoms that commonly come from a lack of or need of sex. Irritability, nervousness, excessive vaginal wetness, you name it: They were characteristics of a disease called hysteria.

For married women who were diagnosed with hysteria, the treatment was easy: Have more sex. But for those poor young ladies who were without nuptials, it meant a trip to the doctor’s office.

Eighteenth century doctors believed that the only way to cure hysteria without having sexual intercourse was to manually massage the external genitals of a woman until she reached “hysterical paroxysm,” or an orgasm.

Doctors found the job to be very tedious and time-consuming. They needed a way to make the process less tiresome and quicker so that they could see more needy ladies in their crammed business days.

Thus, the Manipulator was invented. In1962, an American doctor named George Taylor presented his steam-powered vibrator. In 1972 the device was patented, making it the fifth household device to become electric, after the toaster and before the vacuum. At least we knew where our priorities were!

The Manipulator was quite the cumbersome device. It consisted of a large table with a protruding ball attached to a cylindrical piece. The cylindrical piece (drive train) provided the power to the Manipulator, which was generated from a steam engine in another room.

Needless to say, the Manipulator was not a portable vibrator. That honor belongs to the wind-up Tremoussoir, the first vibrator invented. Unfortunately, the Tremoussoir was too expensive and never quite made it.

On the other hand, the Manipulator did have its pros. It definitely did the job quicker, by vigorously massaging the pelvic and abdominal area. Instead of doctors standing around for up to an hour, they could get women inflicted with hysteria in and out of the office in a matter of minutes.

Within the next few years, the Manipulator became a common device found in many doctors’ offices and spas. Professionals cashed in on the women who came in day after day and month after month for repeated treatments for hysteria.

No one ever assumed that some of these women might be making return visits to the vibrating table because it simply felt good—possibly better than their husbands were making them feel. Since sex during this time was limited to only making the man feel good and for the sake of procreation, this fact was probably very true. In addition, external stimulation of the genitals was not considered sexual in any way.

So, many women probably got away with visiting their doctor or local spa for an orgasm. Imagine that!

As technology increased, inventors made smaller and eventually battery-operated vibrators. These sexual aids enjoyed a short period of time in mainstream advertisement until the 1920s, when vibrators started showing up in underground porn.

Oops! Those naughty porn starlets let the cat out of the bag and revealed to the public what vibrators were really used for. Along with that came the social stigma of these now “dirty” devices, and they were snatched off the shelves and out of advertisements in Sears™ catalogs. It wouldn’t be until the late 90s that vibrators would be embraced by the public again . . . and in some states they’re still struggling to be accepted (see Laws against sex toys).