9/20/11
Rhetoric of Health
“Mysteria” by Andrew Scull
Hysteria is a subject of much controversy. Some people believe that this disease is a myth, yet doctors are baffled when they see patients with the so called “chameleon-like disease” (Scull 6). The author of this article, Andrew Scull, calls the disease “Mysteria” because the disease is so mysterious in nature and no one seems to know where it comes from or how to cure it. Many people wonder if it is a psychological or physical disorder or if it even exists at all. In almost all cases, Hysteria is a disease that only women can get. Many great scientists like Freud and Hippocrates have had their say in what they think about the disease. Freudians believe that, “Hysteria is the quintessential psychodynamic disorder…” (Scull 10). On the other hand, in one of Hippocrates texts, it was said that, “the womb is the origin of all disease” in the women (Scull 13). The word Hysteria originates from the Greek word “Hystera” which is the word for the womb, or the female reproductive organ. Naturally when people hear the word hysteria, they think of woman because of this.
One of the most famous accounts of Hysteria in earlier times was a case with a young girl named Mary Glover. It was said that she suffered from “hysterica passio” or “suffocation of the mother.” The doctors that diagnosed her with this said that this disease was likely because she was more susceptible, being a woman. After many weeks, she was still having fits and she was said to be bewitched. When looking at Mary Glover’s case nowadays, one could see that she displayed a lot of the symptoms for the disease Hysteria. Many people are skeptical and believe that she was faking the symptoms but other signs show that she was not faking.
In conclusion the article talks about how many psychiatrists have abandoned the diagnosis of this disease. The disease still remains a mystery and is a topic of controversy to many people in the medical realm. This disease was said to have originated in the wombs of the women and this is where the disease started in the women, and now we have changed the name of this mysterious disease. The article leaves you wondering whether this disease was a myth, or if the women that threw fits and had many other symptoms were suffering from Hysteria.
Works Cited
Scull, Andrew. “Mysteria.” Hysteria: The Biography. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford UP, 2009. 6-24. eBook
I found this article to be really interesting because I'm fascinated if Hysteria is a true disease or not. Also, I wonder if there is any evidence today that could potentially prove it because you mentioned in your summary that psychiatrists have simply abandoned the diagnosis. However the symptoms don't seem too severe, so something like this might be hard to prove.
ReplyDeleteThis article was was very interesting to me as well but I'm curious to know what have been some of the treatments of hysteria. They talked much of the causes and symptoms of the disease yet I'm baffled at what some of the treatments might have been then and now.
ReplyDeleteWhen hysteria was discovered, it was at a time when mental illness was not really talked about and nobody actually knew about different kinds of mental illness. I think Hysteria was a compilation of all the symptoms of different mental illnesses, but since other mental illnesses weren't discussed everybody got lumped into the same group and were all believed to be effected by hysteria.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why it seems that hysteria appears in women more? Is this a gender issue? Or do women actually show signs of hysteria more than men?
ReplyDeleteI found the article very interesting. I believe the hysteria disease to be a myth but i am open to others opinions if they present logical evidence. because of the time this article was written it and beliefs doesn't make me believe in their claims/evidence.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Rachel said about the grouping of all individuals who were thought to be mentally into one category. There are multiple symptoms, some of which are not interconnected, so I think that it is in a way unethical to group individuals with the varying symptoms into one larger category, hysteria.
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