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During the Victorian era, women were believed to be weak and susceptible to a range of medical ailments, including “the vapors,” which encompassed various symptoms. This term originated from the Four Humors theory of medicine and reinforced the idea that women were more prone to melancholy due to their anatomy. The treatment was rest and scented salts. This diagnosis hindered serious treatment of medical conditions such as vaginal fistulas.
In the Victorian era, a wide variety of conditions that primarily affected women were referred to as “the vapors.” Women were seen as fundamentally weak during this period and were also believed to be more susceptible to a number of medical ailments. The stereotypical Victorian image of a woman fainting against a sofa is a classic depiction of a woman who has been overcome by fumes. Currently, this is not a recognized medical diagnosis.
The origins of this term can be found in ancient Greece and Rome, where physicians developed the Four Humors theory of medicine, which stated that the body was affected by the balance of four “humors” located in various organs of the body. Imbalances could theoretically cause health problems, and by determining the source of the imbalance, health professionals could prescribe the appropriate treatment. Medical professionals in the Victorian era believed that feelings of melancholy had their roots in the spleen and that they rose through the body in the form of vapors that affected the mind.
While it may seem ridiculous today, this has been widely accepted and reinforced by claims that women were more susceptible to these feelings than men due to the “irregularities” of their anatomy. The Greeks called it “feminine hysteria”. The condition has added to the mystery of the “feminine condition” and, in some cases, the diagnosis has hindered serious treatment of medical conditions such as vaginal fistulas, a common complaint among Victorian mothers.
A wide variety of symptoms have been grouped under “the fumes,” including anxiety, depression, bloating, fainting, loss of appetite, tremors, digestive problems, and behavioral problems. In a time when women were expected to adhere to very strict rules of behavior, free-spirited women like the suffragettes were often diagnosed with the condition. The treatment most generally prescribed was rest, sometimes with the judicious application of scented salts to revive unconscious women.
At the time, medical professionals said that up to a quarter of the female population was afflicted with vapors. Given the wide variety of conditions that could be encompassed by this umbrella term, this is perhaps not surprising, especially since women who think for themselves were often thought to suffer from this problem. Some Victorian women undoubtedly had legitimate medical problems that weren’t being treated, such as cancer, depression, underlying infections, and conditions caused by lacing corsets too tightly.
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