Abstract

HUERTAS, Rafael. The beginning of Francoist psychiatry: the National Neurology and Psychiatry Conference (Barcelona, 1942). Dynamis [online]. 2017, vol.37, n.1, pp.23-43. ISSN 2340-7948.

While there has been some research into Francoist psychiatry, much work still needs to be done on the reorganization of the mental health profession within the new state. Held in Barcelona on 12, 13 and 14th January 1942, the National Neurology and Psychiatry Conference undoubtedly played a major role in the attempt to overthrow the dominant ideas in the field of Spanish psychiatry and displace its most influential figures. This article seeks to analyse the Conference's main organizational features and examine its most significant content, with the aim of evaluating its strategic importance in the context of both the psychiatrists' professional and scientific interests and their ideological and political concerns. Conference papers tackled issues such as neurology and psychiatry in wartime, vitamin deficiency and the nervous system, and new psychiatric treatments, including shock therapy. The Conference's marked ideological nature represented the beginning of a new professional dynamic, featuring the emergence or establishment of new leaders intent on laying the foundations of psychiatry during the early years of the Franco regime.

Keywords : medical conferences; wartime psychiatry; psychiatric treatments; deficiency neuropathy; post-war period in Spain.

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