Joseph Mortimer Granville 1880
Granville patented an Electro-mechanical Vibrator 1880. Originally called a percusser or more colloquially "Granville's hammer", the machine was manufactured and sold to physicians to relieve muscle aches.
Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville was born in London, England 1833.
Hysteria
The "pelvic massage" was a common treatment of female hysteria (overwhelming or unmanageable emotional excess in the womb) in Great Britain during the Victorian Era. This manipulation was to cause "hysterical paroxysm" (outburst from the womb) in the patient. It was not widely accepted that women could experience orgasm, that was a male reserve. But this treatment was very demanding on doctors who found themselves suffering from fatigued wrists and hands.Granvilles invention became increasingly popular as a way for doctors to provide "pelvic massage" Joseph tried to disassociate himself from the device's "mis-use".
Media Links
The historical but largely fictional film Hysteria features a reworked history of the vibrator focusing on Dr. Granville's invention.
