Iwan Bloch

Born in Delmenhorst, Germany, Iwan Bloch studied medicine and built his career as a dermatologist and venereologist in Berlin. He became known as one of the early figures in sexology, working at a time when sexuality was only beginning to be examined in a systematic medical way.

Bloch wrote extensively on prostitution, sexually transmitted disease, and the history of sexual customs. He is especially remembered for treating sexuality as a subject shaped not only by medicine, but also by society, culture, and history.

His work helped lay foundations for later sex research in Germany and beyond. Even now, he is often described as an important early scholar in the development of modern sexology.