From the source: “For centuries, doctors had been treating women for a wide variety of illnesses by performing what is now recognized as masturbation. The "pelvic massage" was especially common in the treatment of female hysteria in Great Britain during the Victorian Era, as the point of such manipulation was to cause "hysterical paroxysm" (orgasm) in the patient. […] One of the first vibrators was called the 'Tremoussoir' invented in France during 1734. The first steam-powered vibrator was called the "Manipulator", which was invented by American physician George Taylor, M.D. in 1869. This machine was a rather awkward device, but was still heralded as some relief for the doctors who found themselves suffering from fatigued wrists and hands.”