Samuel Leopold Schenk

Born on 23 August 1840 in Ürmény, then in the Kingdom of Hungary within the Austrian Empire, Samuel Leopold Schenk was an Austrian physician and embryologist who built his career at the University of Vienna. He earned his medical degree there in 1865, later qualified to teach, and went on to serve as a professor of embryology.

Schenk is remembered for experimental work in embryology and reproductive science. Sources about his career note that in 1878 he carried out an early attempt at in vitro fertilization using animal egg cells and sperm, an effort that was historically notable even though it was not successful in the modern sense.

He also became widely discussed for a book arguing that the sex of children could be influenced before birth, a claim that brought him international attention and strong criticism from many in the medical world. He died on 17 August 1902 in Schwanberg, in Styria.