> "according to hippocrates hysteria is what happens when your uterus gets
> up
> and wanders around your body. so i don't think men can get it."
>
> This is the word from my Psych Doc Daughter in training!
...
> Stephen V
This is certainly the derivation and early meaning (why it was sometimes
refered to as "a fit of the mother"), but the Lear quote suggests that it
began at least by about 1600 to get extended (metaphorically?) to the male
sex. In a bit of a rush, so haven't had time to chase this -- a look in
the OED might help re dates.
(Must be useful to have a PsiDoctor in the house, for medical emergencies of
the mental kind.)
Robin
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