The ancient Greeks, through physicians like Hippocrates and philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato, may actually be the legitimate forefathers of sex research, because they were the first to elaborate theories regarding sexual responses and dysfunctions, sex legislation, reproduction and contraception, and sexual ethics. But it wasn’t until the 18th century that there was increased discussion of sexual ethics and that the first programs of public and private sex education and classifications of sexual behavior were established.
Early Sex Research
In the 19 th century researchers from a variety of disciplines (such as Darwin, Kaan, Charcot, and others) laid the foundations of sex research in the modern sense. It was during this time that the study of sex began to concentrate more on the bizarre, dangerous, and unhealthy aspects of sex. In 1843, Heinrich Kaan, a Russian physician, wrote Psychopathic Sexualis, which presented a classification of sexual mental diseases. This system was greatly expanded and refined over 40 years later by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in another book with the same title. Sex research during this time almost exclusively focused on people believed to be sick (see timeline).
During the Victorian period in the 19th century, the majority of sex research was thwarted. Some researchers found that they suddenly lost their professional status, were accused of having the very sexual disorders they studied, or were viewed as motivated solely by lust, greed, or fame. However, as interest in medicine in general grew, researchers began to explore how to improve health and peoples’ lives, which included researching various aspects of sexuality.
Physicians were the primary sexuality researchers in the late 19th century (keep in mind that nearly all physicians were men at that time). Because physicians were experts in biology and the body, they were also viewed as the experts of sexuality (V. Bullough,
1994) . Interestingly, although the majority of physicians had little or no specialized knowledge of sexual topics, most spoke with authority about human sexuality anyway.
The majority of the early sexuality studies were done in Europe, primarily in Germany (V. Bullough, 1994). At the time, sex research was protected because it was considered part of medical research, even though holding a medical degree did not always offer complete protection. Some researchers used pseudonyms to publish their work, some were verbally attacked, and others had their data destroyed.
At the turn of the 20th century it was the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud, Havelock Ellis, and Iwan Bloch that established the study of sexual problems as a legitimate endeavor in its own right. It is interesting to note that many of the early researchers of sexology were of Jewish background. The Nazis persecuted many German — Jewish physicians who specialized in sexuality, calling them “decadent.” The Jewish roots of much of modern sexology have certainly added to its controversial nature in certain countries. As a result of all the negative reactions and problems with sexuality research in Europe, it gradually moved from Germany to the United States, which has led the way in sexuality research ever since.
In 1921, several prominent European doctors attempted to set up an organization called the Committee for Research in Problems of Sex. After much hard work, the organization established itself but experienced problems in low membership rates and a lack of research and publishing support. However, because of strong beliefs and persistence by the founders, the group continued.
Systematic research into sexuality in the United States began in the early 1920s, motivated by pressures from the social hygiene movement, which was concerned about sexually transmitted infections and their impact on marriage and children. American society was generally conservative and viewed the “sex impulse” as a potential threat to societal stability, and research into sexuality was viewed as one way
to help “cure” these threats. Funding for sexuality research was minimal. It wasn’t until the beginnings of philanthropy from the fortunes of men such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie that researchers were able to afford to implement large-scale, interdisciplinary projects.