The Wandering Uterus: An Origin Story

"The Greek physician Hippocrates is generally credited with first suggesting that hysteria was the result of a wandering uterus: the uterus, he thought, could detach itself and wander about the body, causing dysfunction by adhering to other organs. For example, the uterus might attach to the heart, causing chest pains, or to the stomach, causing gastrointestinal problems. In turn, this would cause women to become hysterical (evidently men were incapable of becoming hysterical). No one knew for certain how to prevent this from happening, but one cure was to anchor the uterus. This could easily be accomplished through either impregnating the woman or keeping the uterus moist through intercourse so it would not seek out the moisture of other organs."

--Cheryl L. Meyer, The Wandering Uterus: Politics and the Reproductive Rights of Women