Bedroom toy emits vibrations in time
- Author:
- Su-Lin Tan
- Posted:
- Thursday, 19 January 2012
Today the vibrator has naughty connotations, but when doctors invented it over a century ago, it was used as a medical instrument and massage tool to cure women of “hysteria”. At one point it was even marketed as a home appliance.
The Newtown adult shop, Maxxx Black, charts the machine’s history in its mini museum and reveals how society’s perspective has varied over time.
“The shop’s spokesperson, Robbie James said the tool claimed shelf space before several other household devices. “The creation of the vibrator beat the toaster and the vacuum cleaner!”
“The use of the vibrator is so hush-hush these days but in the old days, there used to be Shelton Specials stacked up high in stores,” he said.
The museum provides a detailed chronology of the vibrator from its inception as a steam-powered massager in 1869 to the Hitachi Magic Wand made famous by Betty Dodson during the 1970s.
In the 19th century, the device was used to treat “female hysteria” and enabled patients to reach “paroxysm” or an orgasm, as it is known today.
Hydrotherapy and treatments by hand were proved to be effective yet found to be time-consuming and labour intensive.
In the 1880s, British physician Joseph Mortimer Granville invented the first battery-operated electric vibrator, not for sexual amusement but in the name of medical science.
The significance of this medical revolution was captured in the 2011 movie ‘Hysteria’ based on Dr Granville’s creation of the first vibrator.
Mr James said: “In those days, the vibrator was marketed as a massager and a necessary lifestyle accessory – especially during World War I, when women took over the workforce and their own sexual fulfilment.”
Vibrators or massagers were sold as home appliances and were advertised as “a necessity of life” which “relieves all suffering”.
“It was part of the ‘quackery’ movement,” he said.
Sourced from auctions and medical vintage dealers, the museum’s collection includes the original Shelton Special massager and the 1890 Hand Crank Vibrating Massager, among others.
Owner of Maxxx Black Newtown, Heidi Zuegn, said: “As the 1970s came around, the vibrator had turned into a sexual sub-culture.”
Vibrators took on different guises as hair brushes and back scratchers and were manufactured by the biggest names in electronics such as General Electric and Hitachi.
“People often view the vibrator as a ‘dirty’ object but even cavemen had dildos.”
Macaura's Pulsocon: the hand crank vibrating massager c 1890, Photo by Su-Lin Tan
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Story posted on Thursday, 19 January 2012, filed under City Hub. Follow responses via the RSS feed.
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