The Sexual Question: A Scientific, Psychological, Hygienic and Sociological Study

Auguste Forel was no dilettante. A renowned Swiss psychiatrist and entomologist, he brought the same rigor to human sexuality that he applied to his studies of ants. Published in 1908, this book represents one of the earliest attempts to subject the most charged of human topics to genuine scientific inquiry. Forel argues that ignorance and taboo around sexuality cause profound human suffering, and that only honest, evidence-based examination can lead to healthier individuals and societies. The scope is ambitious: biology, psychology, sociology, hygiene, and education all come under his lens. While some of Forel's specific conclusions reflect his Edwardian era, his core arguments about the necessity of sexual knowledge and the harm of prudery feel startlingly contemporary. This is a foundational text in the history of sexology, a window into how serious scientists once dared to speak the unspeakable, and a reminder that the battles over sexual education are far older than most assume.