Leopold Loewenfeld

Born in Munich on January 23, 1847, Leopold Löwenfeld studied medicine there and completed his doctorate in 1870. As a young assistant doctor he served in the Franco-Prussian War, then practiced briefly in Binswangen before spending several years in Chicago as a specialist in nervous diseases.

He returned to Munich in 1876 and established himself as a physician focused on neurology and electrotherapy. Although he sought an academic teaching post, that effort did not succeed; sources suggest this was likely connected to anti-Jewish discrimination. Even so, he continued to publish extensively and became known for work on nervous disorders, agoraphobia, hypnosis and suggestion, compulsive symptoms, and the links he saw between sexuality and mental health.

Löwenfeld is often described as a pioneer of sexual pathology. Among his books are studies of neurasthenia, hypnosis, homosexual law, mental work and hygiene, and human foolishness, showing how broadly he wrote for both medical and general readers. He died in late 1923, though some references list 1924 because notices appeared the following year.