Throughout history, women’s health issues, particularly those related to reproductive and mental well-being, have been misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated. The concept of hysteria has played a significant role in shaping the medical biases that persist even today.
From ancient medical theories about the “wandering womb” to the brutal mistreatment of women under the guise of medical advancements, hysteria was used as a catch-all diagnosis to dismiss real physical and psychological health concerns. Understanding this history is key to dismantling outdated biases and ensuring that modern medicine is equitable and science-based.
The Ancient Roots
One of the earliest recorded theories regarding female health was the wandering womb, a belief stemming from ancient Greek medicine. Physicians like Hippocrates theorized that a woman’s uterus could move around the body, causing various physical and emotional ailments. This misplaced womb was thought to be responsible for symptoms ranging from fainting spells to anxiety. Treatments were rudimentary and often invasive, including forcing pregnancy, sexual activity, or placing fragrant substances near the genitals to “lure” the uterus back into place.
“When myths are mistaken for medicine, women suffer the consequences.”
While modern medicine has long dismissed the wandering womb theory, its echoes remain in persistent societal beliefs that a woman’s primary biological purpose is reproduction. Even today, women seeking hysterectomies or sterilization are often met with resistance, as if their reproductive capacity is more important than their autonomy.
From Medical Theory to Persecution
As time progressed, hysteria became entangled with moral and religious doctrines. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, women exhibiting unexplained symptoms—such as seizures, hallucinations, or mood swings—were often accused of witchcraft or demonic possession. The infamous witch trials saw thousands of women executed based on little more than behavioral differences and medical ignorance.
In the 1600s, English physician Edward Jorden attempted to argue that these symptoms were due to passio hysterica (hysterical suffocation), not supernatural forces. However, his medical reasoning still rested on the belief that women’s symptoms stemmed from their reproductive organs failing to fulfill their “natural” functions—namely, sex and pregnancy. His defense did little to save the women condemned as witches.
“When science fails to explain, superstition fills the void—at the cost of human lives.”
Medicalization and Harmful Treatments
By the 19th century, hysteria was fully integrated into medical practice, but with devastating consequences. Doctors now sought to treat hysteria through drastic measures such as:
- Clitoridectomy (removal of the clitoris): Justified as a cure for masturbation and hysteria.
- Oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries): Performed on thousands of women based on the belief that the ovaries controlled mental stability.
- The Rest Cure: Popularized by Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell, this “treatment” involved isolating women, preventing them from reading, writing, or engaging in any mental stimulation.
This period solidified the narrative that women’s health issues were a product of their biology rather than legitimate medical conditions. While many of these extreme treatments fell out of favor, the underlying tendency to dismiss or trivialize women’s health concerns persisted.
“Medicine should heal, not silence. Yet for centuries, women’s voices were labeled as symptoms.”
The Birth of Psychoanalysis
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hysteria was no longer attributed to the uterus but was instead classified as a psychological disorder. Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer introduced the idea that hysteria resulted from repressed memories, particularly those involving trauma or unfulfilled sexual desires.
Freud’s theories contributed to the modern understanding of psychosomatic illness, but they also reinforced the notion that women’s distress was imaginary or exaggerated. This shift laid the groundwork for the modern phenomenon where women suffering from chronic pain or unexplained medical conditions are told that “it’s all in their heads.”
The Lingering Impact in Modern Medicine
Although hysteria is no longer a medical diagnosis, its influence lingers:
- Gender Bias in Diagnosis: Women are more likely to have their pain dismissed or diagnosed as psychological rather than physical.
- Underfunding of Women’s Health Research: Conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome receive far less research funding than diseases affecting similar numbers of men.
- Racial Disparities: Black women, in particular, face significant barriers to proper medical care, with studies showing they are less likely to receive adequate pain treatment.
Even today, many women suffering from conditions such as fibroids, pelvic pain, or autoimmune diseases struggle to get proper diagnoses and treatment. The historical framework of hysteria has left a damaging legacy, where women must fight to have their symptoms taken seriously.
“True medical progress begins when we stop questioning whether women’s pain is real and start treating it with urgency.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
To dismantle the remnants of hysteria in modern medicine, we must:
- Increase Research on Women’s Health Issues: Diseases affecting women at high rates should receive funding and attention equal to those affecting men.
- Train Medical Professionals on Gender Bias: Doctors must be educated about the historical dismissal of women’s symptoms to prevent repeating these mistakes.
- Improve Access to Comprehensive Care: Healthcare systems must provide better access to specialists in gynecology, reproductive health, and chronic pain management.
- Empower Women to Advocate for Their Health: Knowledge is power—women must be encouraged to demand better medical treatment and challenge dismissive diagnoses.
“The future of medicine is not in repeating the past, but in unlearning its mistakes.”
The journey from hysteria to modern medicine is a painful one, but understanding it is essential to building a future where women’s health is treated with the respect and scientific rigor it deserves.
