More of a medical question. I know hysterics and hysteria comes from the Greek for "uterus". I did some looking and found that "hysterectomy" was only from around 1886.

Was the practice of removing uteruses (uteri?) known as hysterectomies because of the Greek word, or was it a common practice to deal with women who were hysterical to remove the uterus? I remember that seemed to be the case in Alan Moore's From Hell which was extremely well-researched. And I do know that many words and sayings come from the medieval belief that organs were responsible for emotions (ie 'love hearts', 'melancholy' 'to vent your spleen').

But, what I'm essentially asking is: does anyone know if hysterectomies removed to treat hysteria in women, or is the name just an etymological coincidence?

Anyone?

Welcome Def. Maybe this will help

http://books.google.com/books?id=m1UKpE4...5uCcfjQAdUX6B6M

The term hysteria reflected the belief that the condition was due to a "wandering uterus." How and how far it wandered is anyone's guess. I imagine no further than the edge of Hundred Acre Wood. That the term hysterectomy for the operation dates to the late 1800s probably reflects the state of the art of surgery during that century. Obstetrics & Gynecology (2006;107:541-543 abstract) cites the first successful hysterectomy performed in the U.S. in 1856 by Dr. William J. Baker in Knoxville, TN. How often the surgery was attempted unsuccessfully prior to that, and by what name the procedure was known, I do not know. One can imagine synonymous terms being used, such as "utereoctomy." Whether or not the operation was ever done specifically to address hysteria or female hysteria as it was also known, I don't know either, but given the history of medicine I would not be surprised. Other treatments for this condition were certainly unusual by today's standards.

Years ago I read a novel (of the fact-based historical fiction variety) set in Victorian England: menopausal women were often treated for "hysteria" with hysterectomies and/or other unusual means. I cannot remember the name of the book but it might be worth it to google the key words to answer your question.

I would suspect that hysterectomy has the Greek root for uterus rather than the Latin because that tends to be how medical terms are formed; from Greek roots. That hysterics or hysteria was once thought to be due to a wandering uterus (and they say free-range is good) is irrelevant to the roots of the word hysterectomy.

Oh I don't know, there is a multitude of medical terms that derive from Latin.

I think the coiner of hysterectomy went with hyster- rather than utero, because -ectomy is, itself, a Greek root, and sticklers often mock those who mix Latin and Greek roots in the same neologism. (Though, not always: e.g., television, homosexual, motorcycle.)

due to a wandering uterus (and they say free-range is good) HA!

Faldage, you did some work on this in '03: I went bartlebying after the relation betwixt hysteresis and hysteria and it seems it ain't there. The Greek words are husteros and hustera, respectively. The one means late and the other womb.
hysteria

Man, I love this site! I ask one question, I get a lesson in Greek, extra reading material and a new word (Onelook.com doesn't even have "bartleby", at least as a verb. Can you help me out?)

Thanks for all the help. I think I can continue telling that story to my students, apocryphal though it may be.

to bartleby merely means to utilize the bartleby.com reference site.

-joe (yafo*) friday

*yet another faldage original

Webstered:----- hysteria

Today the term is most often used in the phrase mass hysteria to describe mass public reactions. It is commonly applied to the waves of popular medical problems that "everyone gets" in response to news articles.

Or items everyone thinks one has to get or see in response to ads in written word or spoken word.

No female organs of predominance in this one.