Did you know that Ancient Greek physicians once believed that a woman’s womb was a living creature

Did you know that Ancient Greek physicians once believed that a woman’s womb was a living creature? 

The belief of the wandering womb was described in medical texts of ancient Greece, and it was supported by classical philosophers like Plato and Hippocrates. Greek philosophers and physicians believed that the uterus could wander or move freely as it was like a living creature with a mind of its own. The movement of the uterus was thought to cause suffocation, seizures, and hysteria.

To prevent the womb from wandering, Greek physicians prescribed the women to have sexual intercourse frequently. They were also advised to marry at an early age and bear as many children as possible. If the womb had already escaped, the physicians would recommend the women to take scented vaginal suppositories, therapeutic baths, infusions, physical massages, fumigations, and vapours.

The idea of the wandering womb stopped right after the physicians discovered that the womb was held in place by ligaments.

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