115
In he ea ly wen ie h cen u y, he Swiss-bo n psychia is Adol Meye (1866-1950) played a majo
ole in de ining and ins i u ionalizing he ield o men al hygiene. In addi ion, he was ac i ely in ol ed
in es ablishing Ame ican Psychia y and Psychology as allied, bu p o essionally and academically
independen disciplines. F om his highly isible posi ion as p o esso o psychia y a Johns Hopkins
Uni e si y and di ec o o he p es igious Hen y Phipps Psychia ic Clinic, Meye assumed a p eeminen
place in he Ame ican Psychological scene. F om ha posi ion, he also exe ed a p o ound in luence
in e na ionally. This pape examines Meye ’s co espondence wi h ce ain Spanish au ho s in o de o
glean some insigh in o he signi icance o he Spania ds o hei Ame ican coun e pa s. I is concluded
ha Meye had a deep knowledge o he wo k o Ramon y Cajal, Nicolas Achúca o, Gonzalo Rod íguez
La o a, and Emilio Mi a. Fu he mo e, Meye knew i s -hand he poli ical ci cums ances ha o ced
mos o hem in o exile, and wo ked wi h some Ame ican ini ia i es o suppo Spanish doc o s and
scien is s du ing and a e he Spanish Ci il Wa .
Keywo ds: Adol Meye , Spain, co espondence, Spanish Ci il Wa .
El psiquia a de o igen suizo Adol Meye (1866-1950) jugó, a p incipios del siglo XX, un papel esencial
en la de inición y la ins i ucionalización de la higiene men al. Asimismo, es u o ac i amen e implicado en
el es ablecimien o de la psiquia ía y la psicología ame icanas como disciplinas aliadas pe o p o esional
y académicamen e independien es. Desde su pues o como p o eso de psiquia ía en la Uni e sidad
Johns Hopkins y di ec o de la p es igiosa Clínica Psiquiá ica Hen y Phipps, Meye asumió un luga
p eeminen e en la escena psicológica ame icana. También, desde esa posición, eje ció una g an in luencia
in e nacional. Es e abajo examina la co espondencia en e Meye y algunos au o es españoles como
medio de ob ene una p ime a isión de la signi icación de los españoles pa a sus colegas ame icanos.
Se concluye que Meye conocía en de alle la ob a de Ramón y Cajal, Nicolás Achúca o, Gonzalo
Rod íguez La o a, y Emilio Mi a. Pe o además, Meye supo de p ime a mano las ci cuns ancias polí icas
que lle a on a casi odos ellos al exilio y colabo ó con algunas inicia i as ame icanas de apoyo a los
médicos y cien í icos españoles du an e y después de la Gue a Ci il Española.
Palab as cla e: Adol Meye , España, co espondencia, Gue a Ci il Española.
Adol Meye and Spain: A His o ical Accoun
Gleaned h ough his Co espondence
Na i idad Sánchez
Uni e sidad de Se illa (España)
Co espondence conce ning his a icle should be add essed o Na i idad Sánchez. Depa amen o de Psicología Expe imen al.
Uni e sidad de Se illa. C/ Camilo José Cela S/N. 41018 Se illa (Spain). E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
Copy igh 2011 by Psychologia La ina
ISSN 2171-6609
Psychologia La ina
2011, Vol. 2. No. 1, 115-131
doi:10.5209/ e _PSLA.2011. 2.n1.5
SÁNCHEZ
116
Du ing he i s qua e o he 20 h cen u y, psychology
and psychia y in No h Ame ica had a p o ound in luence
on he way he wo disciplines came o be de ined. Eu ope’s
p eeminence h oughou he 19 h cen u y, p ima ily due o
F ench and Ge man psychia is s and Ge man psychology,
began o shi g adually and inexo ably owa d he Uni ed
S a es (U.S.). This change was no only he esul o hese
disciplines’ apid ad ancemen wi hin he U.S., bu he
consequence o ce ain psychologis s and psychia is s
eloca ing o ha coun y o poli ical easons, o in
esponse o he call o oppo uni y ha he new wo ld held
o so many young people. Such was he case o Adol
Meye (1866-1950), Nicolás Achúca o (1810-1918) and
Gonzalo Rod íguez La o a (1886-1971).
Being wo ela i ely young disciplines, and ones ha
la gely o e lap in a eas o esea ch and in e en ion, i is
only na u al ha psychology and psychia y simul aneously
sough ou ways o es ablish hei espec i e iden i ies
by delinea ing disciplina y bounda ies be ween hem.
Du ing his p ocess, i was some imes simple o de ine
bounda ies in e ms o occupa ional p o iles a he han
ying o es ablish concep ual, academic and esea ch limi s.
This was e en mo e di icul because in addi ion o hei
heo e ical ic ion, hey we e bo h ying o accep ance
wi hin he es o he academic communi y as igo ous,
scien i ic disciplines. I is no su p ise, hen, ha in he
ea ly days o psychia y and psychology, he lines be ween
hem we e blu ed. This was a imes ad an ageous, when
no explici ly encou aged by hose pa icipa ing in he
dema ca ion o hei espec i e in ellec ual bounda ies.
Es ablishing co esponding p o essional associa ions
o each discipline was a majo s ep in cha ac e izing each
one. Du ing he 19 h cen u y, se e al gene al, scien i ic
ins i u ions we e es ablished in he U.S. such as he
Ame ican Associa ion o he Ad ancemen o Science,
ounded in Pennsyl ania in 1848, and he Ame ican
Social Science Associa ion, ounded in Bos on in 1865.
Ne e heless, as social, poli ical and academic1 change
equi ed p o essionals o become inc easingly specialized,
he e began o eme ge disciplina ily and p o essionally-
o ien ed associa ions ha also limi ed and con olled
membe ship (Cadwallade , 1992). In esponse o many
scien is s’ g owing dissa is ac ion, he mo e gene al
scien i ic o ganiza ions a emp ed o es ablish specialized
sec ions and di isions, bu wi h li le success, and i was
unde hese ci cums ances ha disciplina y associa ions
began o p oli e a e (Sokal, 1992).
In he case o psychia y, i s p o essional o ganiza ion
a ose in 1844 unde he name o he Associa ion o
Medical Supe in enden s o Ame ican Ins i u ions o he
Insane; i la e changed i s name o he Ame ican Medico-
Psychological Associa ion in 1892, hen o he name i
holds oday, he Ame ican Psychia ic Associa ion, in 1921.
I is among he oldes in he U.S., e en appea ing be o e
he Ame ican Medical Associa ion was launched in 1847.
As o psychology, he Ame ican Psychological Associa ion
was ounded in July, 1892 a he hand o G. S anley Hall
(see E ans, S aud Sex on, & Cadwallade , 1992).
In a simila ashion, depa men s and depa men
chai s g ew ou o uni e si ies along wi h labo a o ies and
jou nals. The numbe o cong esses, scien i ic mee ings
and semina s inc eased wi hin bo h disciplines. All hese
ins i u ionalizing o ces helped inc ease psychology and
psychia y’s isibili y wi hin he es o he scien i ic
communi y, and we e ins umen al in c ea ing discou se
abou he iden i y o each ield. Howe e , in coun ies no
ye eached by his p o essionaliza ion, i was also common
du ing his ea ly pe iod o he names o psychologis s and
psychia is s o in e wine and o e lap. They ook on he
same p oblems using simila o iden ical s a egies and
ools, some imes e en came up wi h he same answe s, and
pa icipa ed indisc imina ely in many ypes o ins i u ions.
Thus, he his o y o he p ocess o legi imizing psychological
and psychia ic discou se u ned ou o be much less linea
and p og essi e han i may a i s appea , a leas ou side
o he con ex o p o essionaliza ion.
Ce ain igu es a e indispensable o an analysis o he
complex in e ac ions be ween psychology and psychia y
a ha ime in he U.S.. One such igu e is indubi ably he
Swiss psychia is Adol Meye (1866-1950).
In some au ho s’ opinion, Meye was he mos p ominen
and in luen ial Ame ican psychia is in he i s hal o he
20 h cen u y (G ob, 1983; Leys 1991; Scull, 2005; Scull &
Schulkin, 2009; Sho e , 1997). Bo n in Swi ze land, he
g adua ed om medical school a he Uni e si y o Zu ich
in 1892 and ha same yea , emig a ed o he Uni ed S a es.
O e he cou se o his educa ion, he had he oppo uni y
o isi he o emos hospi als and cen e s in Ge many,
F ance and G ea B i ain. A e spending one a duous yea
in Chicago, whe e he had a i ed enchan ed wi h he idea
o building a u u e in he ield o neu ology, he was hi ed
as a pa hologis by he Illinois Eas e Hospi al a Kankakee,
whe e he emained o wo and a hal yea s. Du ing his
ea ly pe iod, he had his i s b ush wi h academia a he
1 I was du ing he las qua e o he 19 h cen u y when uni e si ies began o p oli e a e in he USA ha esembled Eu opean,
especially Ge man, uni e si ies in ha hey ga e equal impo ance o educa ion and esea ch, and inc easingly ocused on pos g adua e
educa ion. Johns Hopkins Uni e si y, ounded in 1876, Cla k Uni e si y in 1887, and he Uni e si y o Chicago in 1891, a e clea
examples o how academic ins i u ions began o equi e an inc easingly high le el o specializa ion.
ADOLF MEYER AND SPAIN 117
Uni e si y o Chicago, whe e he held his i s eaching
posi ion, hough i was me ely hono a y so he did no
ecei e a sala y. He augh a cou se he e in neu oana omy
(Win e s, 1966). This combina ion o clinical p ac ice,
eaching and esea ch in a uni e si y se ing would emain a
cons an h oughou his ca ee . In ac , i was he possibili y
o pu suing bo h o hose aspec s ha led him, in 1895, o
accep a posi ion as Scien i ic and Clinical Di ec o a he
Wo ces e S a e Hospi al o he Insane (Massachuse s). In
his posi ion, and h ough he di ec connec ion i a o ded
wi h nea by Cla k Uni e si y, Meye was expec ed o
success ully con e he s a e hospi al in o an au hen ic,
educa ional cen e o he ea men o ne ous illnesses
(Lie , 1948). In 1902, he was named Di ec o o he
Pa hological Ins i u e o S a e Hospi als (New Yo k) and
emained in ha posi ion un il 1910. Du ing his new s age
o his ca ee , he ne e al e ed in his dedica ion o highe
educa ion, joining he acul y a Co nell Uni e si y as
p o esso o psychia y in 1904.
Du ing hose yea s, Meye es ablished he basis o his
Psychobiology, a holis ic, plu alis ic and clea ly unc ionalis
app oach o he s udy o he mind. His con ibu ions gained
ecogni ion when in 1908, he was o e ed he posi ion
as chai o Psychia y a he p es igious Johns Hopkins
Uni e si y in Bal imo e. Included among his du ies was o
di ec he ecen ly cons uc ed Hen y Phipps Psychia ic
Clinic. Meye ook on bo h commi men s and con e ed
he Phipps clinic in o one o he leading cen e s o i s ime
in psychia ic ea men , p e en ion, esea ch and educa ion
(Sánchez, & Diaz, 2008).
Meye knew all he men and women o no e in
psychia y and psychology in hose days. Addi ionally,
he ook i upon himsel o seek ou con ac wi h anyone
whose sho bu p omising ca ee led him o an icipa e hei
u u e eminence. Meye came o be a igu e o wo ld-wide
enown; his in luence on B i ish psychia y was especially
la ge (Gelde , 2003). His job as chai a Johns Hopkins
Uni e si y and his wo k as di ec o o he Phipps Psychia ic
Clinic we e p obably essen ial o his ecogni ion (G ob,
1983). O e ime, he heo e ical and clinical eclec icism
ha so cha ac e ized Meye ’s wo k made his in luence
o alue, less in e ms o heo y, and mo e because o i s
ins i u ionalizing ole (Sho e , 1997).
Adol Meye is a clea exponen o some au ho s’
di icul y wi h and unwillingness o limi hei scien i ic
ac i i y o a single domain. Undoub edly, he se ed he
dual ask o ac i ely helping de ine he ield o psychia y,
and a he same ime inco po a ing psychology in o his
iew o he psychobiology o man. This can be con i med
by simply iewing he lis o psychologis s wi h whom he
had w i en con ac , o his ex ensi e co espondence wi h
psychological ins i u ions. A po ion o hese documen s
has ecei ed p e ious a en ion in he body o li e a u e,
such as his exchanges wi h Edwa d B. Ti chene (Leys &
E ans, 1990) and John B. Wa son (Ruiz & Sánchez, 2006).
Wi hin he con ex o Meye ’s emendous, in e na ional
ele ance o he ields o psychology and psychia y in his
day, we p opose o s udy he p ominence o se e al Spanish
au ho s wi hin he Ame ican science scene by analyzing
his co espondence. In Spain oo, he i s decades o
he 20 h cen u y we e essen ial in de ining psychology. I
is no ou objec i e he e o o e explana ions, o ou
unde s anding, o he e en s ha we e he i s s eps owa d
ins i u ionalizing Eu opean ad ancemen s in he ield
o psychology; ha has been done by mo e au ho i a i e
oices han ou s (see Ca pin e o 2004, Saiz & Saiz, 1996).
Su ice i o say ha sa u a ed in he deeply p o-Eu opean
spi i ha swep Spanish in ellec ualism owa d scien i ic
inno a ion, a dis inguished g oup o scien is s mig a ed
om undamen ally esea ch-based medicine, in o
psychology (i.e.: Sima o, Cajal, Achúca o, Tu ó, La o a,
Pi & Sunye , Mi a, Ge main). Thei en e p ise would be
i epa ably and i emediably hinde ed by he Spanish
Ci il Wa and i s socio-poli ical consequences. Almos
hal o Spanish uni e si y p o esso s we e sen in o exile
(Dosil, 2007). Conside ing ha many Spanish doc o s-
psychologis s belonged o his g oup, and adding o ha he
numbe who we e summa ily i ed o hei poli ical belie s,
o agains whom ep isals we e aken by he egime, i is
sa e o say ha he consequences o Spanish psychological
science we e ca as ophic.
In A. Meye ’s pape s deposi ed in he Alan Mason
Chesney Medical A chi es a Johns Hopkins Uni e si y,
he e is ample p oo o he Swiss psychia is ’s w i en
exchange wi h hese i s Spania ds in e es ed in psychology.
Pa o his esea ch will aim o analyze his co espondence,
de e mine he con ex in which i occu ed, and y o in e
in wha es eem Meye held he Spania ds. Also, hei
ins i u ional co espondence po ays widesp ead conce n
o e he poli ical, economic and social con lic su ounding
he ac i i y o hese majo playe s.
Co espondence wi h San iago Ramón y Cajal.
“…sending you, my dea colleague, a gua an ee o
my mos since e iendship”2 “…e ous ece ez
ès hono é con è e l’assu ance de mon ami ié ès
sincè e”
Ch onologically, he i s co espondence Meye
main ained wi h a Spanish au ho was wi h San iago Ramón
2 Le e om Ramón y Cajal o Meye , Ap il 2, 1900.
SÁNCHEZ
118
y Cajal (1852-1934). I was no an ex ensi e exchange
–only 3 documen s emain om i - bu i did con ey a
deep mu ual unde s anding o each o he ’s p o essional
si ua ions, which di e ed ma kedly a ha ime. Meye and
Cajal me in 1899 and he ci cums ances su ounding ha
i s encoun e igh ened he bond be ween he wo men.
Cajal and his wi e Sil e ia Fañanás isi ed he U.S. once
du ing he summe o 1899; i was hen ha he wo me ( o
mo e de ails abou Cajal’s ip, see Haines, 2007). San iago
Ramón y Cajal was in i ed by Cla k Uni e si y o gi e a
se ies o alks wi h o he Eu opean expe s. Amid many
doub s abou he poli ical oppo uni y implied by a ip o
he coun y ha had one yea p io p e ailed o e Spain
in wa , and a e going so a as o consul wi h membe s
o he Spanish go e nmen abou he ip’s ad isabili y, he
decided o accep he in i a ion hey had ex ended.
In June 18993, I was deeply eng ossed in he a o emen ioned
explana ions in he human ce eb um when he e eached my
hands a cou eous in i a ion om he Ame ican Uni e si y
o Wo ces e (Cla k Uni e si y) a cen e o highe s udies
compa able wi h he Collège de F ance, o gi e se e al
lec u es ega ding my in es iga ions on he ce eb al co ex.
(…)
I was deeply su p ised and pe plexed by he eceip o
such a missi e. I could no unde s and how a humble Spanish
in es iga o should ha e been hough o in he Uni ed S a es,
a p o esso belonging o a anquished and humilia ed ace.
I was assailed by doub . Could I easonable accep such
a comp omised in i a ion a ew mon hs a e he wa , when
Spain was s ill qui e ing wi h indigna ion and anco a e
he iniqui ous obbe y o he colonies” (Ramón y Cajal, 1989,
p. 484)
Cajal and ou o he Eu opean expe s we e in i ed
o an e en commemo a ing he en h anni e sa y o he
ounding o Cla k Uni e si y. In addi ion o Cajal we e
Émile Pica d, p o esso o ma hema ics a he Uni e si y o
Pa is, Ludwig Bol zmann, p o esso o heo e ical physics
a he Uni e si y o Vienna, Angelo Mosso, p o esso o
physiology a he Uni e si y o Tu ín, and Augus Fo el, a
o me p o esso o psychia y a he Un ie si y o Zu ich
and cu en di ec o o he Bu ghölzli Asylum. All we e
ca e ully picked “as he mos eminen men o science
a ailable in Eu ope in hei espec i e a eas; o all, his
was hei i s ip o Ame ica” (S o y & Wilson, 1899, p.iii).
The idea o his se ies o commemo a i e alks
came om he p esiden o Cla k Uni e si y’s, he
illus ious psychologis and educa o 4, S anley Hall. I
began a adi ion a he Uni e si y o celeb a ing and
commemo a ing decennials wi h an ou s anding se ies o
alks. The bes -known in psychology we e he con e ences
ha 10 yea s la e b ough Sigmund F eud and Ca l Jung o
he U.S.. Adol Meye ac i ely pa icipa ed in he academic
es i i ies a bo h anni e sa y celeb a ions. Beginning in
1896, he belonged o he Psychology Depa men a Cla k,
whe e he was in cha ge o s uden s’ aining in psychia y.
Conside ed as he was a s andou membe o he eaching
acul y, he was asked o c ea e a de ailed desc ip ion o
depa men al cou ses and esea ch, and i was published
o celeb a e he i s e en (Meye , 1899). Ten yea s la e ,
a e he had been named p o esso o psychia y a Johns
Hopkins Uni e si y, Meye was among he con e ence’s
dis inguished gues s. He ga e a alk en i led “The Dynamic
Fac o s in Demen ia P aecox and Allied Psychoses” and a
he e en was awa ded an hono a y deg ee.
Shi ing ou a en ion back o 1899, be o e depa ing o
he U.S., Cajal a eled h ough F ance and emba ked on his
ip o New Yo k om Le Ha e, whe e he coincided wi h
h ee amous, Eu opean scien is s, including he illus ious
D . A. Mosso, he g ea F ench ma hema ician M. E. Pica d,
and he amous D . A. Fo el5.
Needless o say, in such selec company, he wel e days
o he c ossing passed e y quickly. P o esso s Mosso and
Fo el, wi h whom I became e y in ima e du ing he jou ney,
we e e ealed o me as he mos ag eeable people as well
as deligh ul con e sa ionis . In ou colloquies on boa d
we discussed e e y hing, di ine and human; philosophy,
science, a , poli ics, e c. (Ramón y Cajal, 1989, 485)
O hese new ound iends, Cajal seemed o g ow
especially close wi h Augus Fo el. Thei in e es s
o e lapped emendously. In his ime, Fo el was conside ed
a p edecesso o he neu onal doc ine championed by Cajal,
bu he was also known o his s udies o he psychology o
an s6, ano he in e es hey had in common. Cajal no only
published his ological s udies o insec s, bu also made
obse a ions abou hei beha io and senso y capaci ies
(Ramón y Cajal, 1921).
Though he had ye o ecei e he highes dis inc ion o
his ca ee , he 1906 Nobel P ize, Cajal was a uni e sally
3 The da e e e ed o, June o 1899, may no indica e he i s ime Cajal ecei ed wo d o his in i a ion. As Haines (2007) sugges s,
in a le e da ed Ap il 2, 1899, Cajal eplies o Cla k Uni e si y’s ec o , S anley Hall, accep ing he in i a ion bu sugges ing ha he ini ial
check o $500 would no be su icien o co e his expenses.
4 We include in cu si e he e ms wi h which Cajal e e s o S anley Hall in his memoi s (Ramón y Cajal, 1981, p.217).
5 The adjec i es ha appea in cu si e a e he quali ie s used by Cajal in his memoi s ([ibid], p.214).
6 The second o Fo el’s con e ences in Wo ces e discussed he biology o an s, and go a lo o p ess co e age. Tha was despi e he ac
ha Meye , ha ing discussed hypno ism a his i s con e ence, would ha e p e e ed Fo el o ha e p esen ed on alcoholism (see Lie , 1948).
ADOLF MEYER AND SPAIN 119
enowned esea che when he was in i ed a he age o
47 o be pa o his selec g oup o Eu opean eminences.
Meanwhile, a 33, he young Meye was s ill s uggling o
isibili y in he ield o Ame ican psychia y. The po e y
o ha i s yea in Chicago was a behind him, ye 10
yea s emained be o e, in ecogni ion o his wo k, he
would be hi ed as a p o esso a Johns Hopkins and di ec
i s psychia ic clinic. In 1899, he wo men ound each
o he despi e emendous li e and p o essional dis ance.
The budding iendship be ween Fo el and Cajal helped o
close he b each be ween Cajal and Meye . Indeed, Fo el
and Meye had known one ano he a long ime; Fo el was
Meye ’s men o in Zu ich and had se ed as di ec o o his
doc o al hesis. Men o and disciple, hey had been iends
e e since. Meye seemed o make qui e an imp ession on
Cajal:
As a wha conce ns me pe sonally, howe e , i would be
ing a i ude no o men ion he a en ions and hough ulness
which I ecei ed om M . A. Go don Webs e , he dis inguished
p o esso o physics, in whose house I had he hono (…) o
speak o o D . A. Maye 7, a e en admi e and a compa io
o A. Fo el, in whose company I enjoyed he pleasu e o isi ing
he p incipal ins i u ions o public wel a e, and pa icula ly a
magni icen hospi al de o ed o he ea men o ne ous and
men al diseases (ibid., p.495).
The Hospi al Cajal e e ed o was he Wo ces e
Hospi al o he Insane, whe e Meye was conduc ing his
clinical wo k, and whe e he had ex ensi ely eo ganized
he way hings we e un (Lie , 1948). How well he lady
nu ses, who we e educa ed wi h basic medical knowledge,
did especially caugh he Spania d’s a en ion.
Ca ying on o analysis o he co espondence, he
i s le e was da ed in Mad id Ap il 2, 1900. In he le e ,
Cajal in o ms Meye ha a e sion o his book in F ench is
being p epa ed. Based on he le e ’s con en , we suspec
ha du ing his isi o he U.S., o in some p e ious
co espondence no ound among Meye ’s pape s, hey
spoke o he possibili y o ansla ing some o his wo k
om Spanish in o English o Ge man. A he end o he
le e , Cajal ema ks how in aluable his p ojec was. In
he missi e, he de ails his ag eemen wi h he F ench edi o
Schleiche , exp essly indica ing he inancial pe cen age he
would ecei e, and ha he ollowing condi ion had o be
me : ha while he p epa ed he F ench edi ion, nei he he
English no he Ge man e sion would be allowed.
The second documen is da ed almos hi een yea s la e .
On Janua y 28, 1913, Cajal w o e an a ec iona e le e o
Meye declining his in i a ion o he inaugu al exe cises a
he Phipps Clinic:
I would happily accep he ask ha would be o me, an
oppo uni y o g ee you all and enew my iendship wi h
a numbe o my Ame ican colleagues I had he pleasu e o
mee ing du ing my ip in ’98 o Wo ces e ; plus, he yea s
su ely do no pass in ain. My heal h has become mo e and
mo e agile and hey insis on o de and epose.
J’accep e ais olon ie s une âche que se ai pou moi
l’occasion de ous salue e de enou ele l’ami ié de bon
nomb e de collègues amé icains don j’eus le plaisi de
connai e XXX de mon oyage de 98 à Wo ces e ; mais les
années ne passen en ain, Ma san é de ien de plus en plus
chancelan e m’imposan l’o d e e le epos.
This le e is ep oduced in Figu e 1. Cajal was 60
yea s old a he ime. He seizes he occasion o ecommend
Achúca o, “who you know well,” as his subs i u e,
sugges ing ha mo eo e , his wo k migh be close o
Meye ’s in e es s: “He [Achúca o] is also p epa ing o
p esen a epo abou he pa hological s uc u e o he
neu on as i ela es o p oblems in psychia y in which you
a e pa icula ly in e es ed.”
“Il [Achúca o] se ai aussi en mesu e de ai e
quelque appo su la s uc u e pa hologique du
neu one en ela ion a ec les p oblèmes de la psychia ie,
qui ous in é essen ou spécialemen .” Sho ly a e his,
in a ough d a o a le e om Meye in Feb ua y, 1913,
he hanks Cajal o his esponse, lamen s his absence a
he e en , and hanks him none heless o ecommending
Achúca o.
Nicolás Achúca o and Lund (1880-1918)
Tha is how Nicolás Achúca o came o be in i ed o
ep esen Spain in he inaugu al exe cises a he Hen y
Phipps Psychia ic Clinic. Achúca o was no unknown o
Meye . His wo k was al eady alued and espec ed by his
Ame ican colleagues. He a i ed in Washing on in 1908,
7 Cajal had a cu ious endency o misspell he names o his Ame ican colleagues. Fo example, he misspelled S anley Hall’s name
as S amley Hale bo h in his co espondence wi h Hall (see Haines, 2007) and in his memoi s. Also, in his co espondence wi h Meye ,
he subs i u ed he name Phipps – he pa on behind he Psychia ic Clinic a Johns Hopkins – wi h Phypps (le e om Cajal o Meye
Janua y 22, 1913). E en Meye ’s name was no w i en co ec ly in his memoi s, ins ead subs i u ing an “a” in lieu o he i s e in his las
name, making i Maye , al hough in his co espondence wi h Meye himsel , he owels we e no swi ched. This Spanish-izing o Meye ’s
las name (due o p onuncia ion) was e lec ed yea s la e , oo, in a lis o hose absen om he In e na ional Cong ess on Psychology in
Mad id (see Ca pin e o & La uen e, 2008, whe e he documen appea s in appendix C).

SÁNCHEZ
120
accep ing a posi ion i s o e ed o Alzheime hanks o
Alzheime ’s ecommenda ion ha his colleague, “ hough
young, is e e y bi as capable as I” (ci ed in Bus aman e,
1982). His wo k in he o e on o he pa hological ana omy
labo a o y a he Go e nmen Hospi al o he Insane, and
he alue o his scien i ic con ibu ions, had ea ned him
g ea acclaim (Ga cía Albea & Pé ez T ullen, 2003).
In ac , i was no he i s ime since e u ning o Spain
in 1910 ha Achúca o had been in i ed o he Uni ed
S a es. The yea be o e, he had pa icipa ed in e en s
ma king he inaugu a ion o he Fo dham Uni e si y Clinic,
accompanied, among o he s, by Ca l Jung. This isi , du ing
which he ecei ed an hono a y doc o a e, was co e ed in
he New Yo k Times:
To celeb a e he new e a in scien i ic medical s udy in
Fo dham Uni e si y including he opening o he $200,000
building o he clinic ecen ly es ablished an he inaugu a ion
o an ex ension cou se in he science o ne ous and men al
diseases, he uni e si y las nigh con e ed i e hono a y
deg ees, wo in absen ia, on dis inguished scien is s who a e
pa icipa ing in his new wo k. (…) he men hono ed wi h
deg ees a e eminen specialis s who had been deli e ing
a se ies o lec u es a he uni e si y. They a e: D . Head,
London; D . Ho a io Robinson S o e , New Yo k; D . Nicolás
Achúca o, Mad id; D . Ka l Jung Zu ich, Swi ze land, who
we e made doc o s o law, and D . Go don Holmes, London
who was made a doc o o science. (The New Yo k Times,
1912, Sep emb e 12)
On ha occasion a leas , Meye and Achúca o had he
oppo uni y o mee in pe son acco ding o a new no e in
he p ess ha appea ed Sep embe 13 abou a dinne ha
was pa o he celeb a ions (The New Yo k Times, 1912,
Sep embe 13).
Though Meye had he cus om o a chi ing ough
d a s o all he le e s he sen , he e is no eco d o his
in i a ion in his a chi es. Ne e heless, Achúca o was
appa en ly in i ed and om ea ly on, hey we e coun ing
on his pa icipa ion in he Phipps inaugu al exe cises. In
a ough d a o an ex ensi e le e (wi h no da e) w i en
o Jane o in i e him o he exe cises, oo, Meye himsel
Figu e 1. Le e om San iago Ramón y Cajal o Adol Meye da ed Janua y 22, 1913. (The Alan Mason Chesney Medical A chi es o he
Johns Hopkins Medical Ins i u ions, wi h pe mission).
ADOLF MEYER AND SPAIN 121
con i ms ha Achúca o would be pa icipa ing: “The
ollowing colleagues ha e accep ed ou in i a ion: M . and
M s. Bleule om Zu ich, M . and M s. Heilb onne om
U ech, M . Achúca o om Mad id (in lieu o M . Cajal),
M . Rossi om Sassa i, Si William Osle , M . McDougall,
and M . Mo .” E en Science alluded o he Spania d’s
pa icipa ion in a b ie no e in Ap il, 1913.
Howe e , his disciple o bo h Cajal and Alzheime was
ul ima ely unable o make he ip, which is clea om he
one documen a chi ed: a le e om Achúca o o Meye .
In his b ie no e, sen om 51 Se ano S . and da ed he
18 h o Ma ch, 1913, Achúca o di ec ly indica es i would
be impossible o him o a end he Phipps inaugu a ion,
bu does no p o ide any eason as o why. The le e is
ep oduced in Figu e 2. In all likelihood, be o e he le e
eached Meye ’s hands – which would no ha e occu ed
un il ea ly Ap il – wo d had al eady been sen o he
scien i ic p ess indica ing his a endance; hus, Science
epo ed his pa icipa ion.
“D . Meye is so anxious o join D . La o a (...)”
Gonzalo Rod íguez La o a (1886–1971)
Adol Meye also had he oppo uni y o mee and
in e ac wi h Achúca o’s successo in Washing on, Gonzalo
Rod íguez La o a. Among he documen s compiled in
Meye ’s a chi es, no a single le e om his Spania d
emains. Only wo ough d a s emain, each pe aining
o a le e Meye sen Rod íguez La o a; and he e was a
b ie exchange conce ning his ecommenda ion ha he
Spanish doc o be accep ed as a membe o he Ame ican
Neu ological Associa ion (ANA).
Rega ding ha ma e , on Oc obe 3, 1941, Meye
ecei ed a le e om Louis Casamajo , an in luen ial
igu e in New Yo k ci cles o neu ologis s and psychia is s
(G ob, 1983), eminding him o he need o w i e o he
ANA Sec e a y abou La o a’s nomina ion. Ten days la e ,
Meye w o e said le e o ecommenda ion o Hen y Riley
a he Neu ological Ins i u e in New Yo k. In Janua y, 1942,
Figu e 2. Le e om Nicolás Achúca o o Meye da ed Ma ch 18, 1913. (The Alan Mason Chesney Medical A chi es o he Johns
Hopkins Medical Ins i u ions, wi h pe mission).
SÁNCHEZ
122
La o a became a membe o he associa ion; only mon hs
la e , in May, he also joined he Ame ican Psychia ic
Associa ion, (González Cajal, 1988). The ac ha Meye
and La o a knew each o he pe sonally, and ha Meye
app ecia ed his wo k, is easily in e ed om he ough d a
o a le e da ed No embe 7, 1923 ha w i es:
I had hoped las summe on a has y ip o Eu ope o be
able o isi you and P o esso Ramon y Cajal bu he ime
p o ed o be oo c owded. I had hoped o enew pe sonal
con ac , and specially o make su e ha he publica ions
om you labo a o y would ge in o ou hands. I do no
know why hey a e no lis ed among he medical jou nals in
he in e na ional book ma ke , bu my impo ing i m, G. E.
S eche & Company, s a e ha hey can no place he o de . I
should be unde g ea obliga ions o you i wha is a ailable
o he Bol. De la Soc. Espa de Biol. Jg, 9 (1921) and he Re .
T imes . Mic og aphica (comple e) would be sen o us by
pa cel pos as p omp ly as possible (…)”
I was on his ip du ing he summe o 1923 when Adol
Meye had he occasion o mee ano he Spania d: Emilio
Mi a y López; we will discuss his in g ea e de ail la e .
While La o a was in exile in Mexico du ing he summe o
1938, he wo men me on a ip ha b ough him o New
Yo k. On Oc obe 25, 1938, a le e sen om D . Meye ’s
o ice o he Sec e a y o he Spanish Embassy, Fe nando
de los Ríos, indica ed ha :
D . Meye is so eage o ge oge he wi h D . La o a and
he es o he g oup o e lunch ha he has made a angemen s
o someone else o co e his class Wednesday. The e o e,
he will be p esen a he luncheon. I hope his o e due
con i ma ion ha he will a end is no incon enience o you.
The Failed Mad id Cong ess: Co espondence wi h
José Ge main Ceb ián (1897-1986)
In Meye ’s a chi es, he e is eco d o a b ie exchange
wi h José Ge main, who was Sec e a y o he ill- a ed
In e na ional Cong ess on Psychology ha was o ake
place in Mad id in Sep embe o 1936 (see, o example,
Ca pin e o & La uen e, 2008; Mon o o & Quin anilla, 1982).
In a leng hy le e o Meye da ed Ma ch 30, 1936, Ge main,
in addi ion o desc ibing in dep h some o ganiza ional
de ails, in i es Meye o pa icipa e in a ound able
discussion on he opic “Hallucina o y P ocesses and How
They Rela e o P ocesses In ol ed in Belie and Pe cep ion.”
As Ca pin e o and La uen e (2008) ha e sugges ed, one o
he many p oblems he o ganiza ion aced was ha many
o he people hey hoped would pa icipa e in he Cong ess
ei he declined o a end o did no espond a all.
The ough d a o Meye ’s esponse, hand-w i en
on he o iginal le e om Ge main on Ap il 20, 1936,
indica ed he was among hose declining o pa icipa e. José
Ge main w o e o Meye in F ench, bu Meye esponded in
English. He old he Spania d:
I eg e g ea ly ha he da e o he Cong ess makes i
impossible o me o join you his yea since my eaching
p og am demands my p esence he e. I shall look o wa d o
he epo al hough I shall ha e p e e ed by a he pe sonal
con ac s and he isi o you scien i ic cen e s and abo e all
he colleagues o D . Mi a and D . La o a o whom I would
like o send my eg e s and bes ega ds
An Ene ge ic Fellow (…): Emilio Mi a y López
(1896-1964)
We only had access o one documen om Meye ’s
co espondence wi h Emilio Mi a o he w i ing o his
a icle. In his le e , Mi a hanks Meye o his hospi ali y
du ing his ip o he Uni ed S a es en ou e om London
o A gen ina, whe e he was o li e in exile (see Figu e 3).
Meye and Mi a, howe e , had me long be o e. Du ing
he summe o 1923, July 29 h o be p ecise, Meye made a
no e in one o his jou nals “I had he good o une o alling
in wi h D . E. Mi a o Spain.” The o una e occasion ook
place as a consequence he Meye s’ ip o Eu ope in he
summe o 1923 – when he o iginally in ended o isi
La o a and Cajal – “The main in e es I had in going o
Eu ope, apa om eopening con ac wi h my nume ous
pe sonal iends, was na u ally he end o scien i ic
p og ess, and he wo cong esses – he physiological and
he psychological in e na ional mee ings, in Edinbu gh
and Ox o d.” I was du ing he 7 h In e na ional Cong ess
o Psychology, celeb a ed in Ox o d om July 26 h ough
Augus 2, when Meye was in oduced o Mi a. This
encoun e piqued Meye ’s in e es in he poli ical si ua ion
in Ba celona. Using his di icul , some imes indeciphe able
hand-w i ing, he no ed:
He [Mi a] is ca alan and ga e a good desc ip ion o
he condi ions in Ba celona. The new ca alan language and
na ionalism, he syndicalis and eac iona y o ces and he
a emp s o c ea e a socialis pa y, he ascis endencies
(wi hou black shi o o ganiza ion)8 and hen abou some
w i e s (Felipe T igo, O ega y Gasse & Ba oja.
Mi a is in Cha ge o a pscyho ecnic lab. (..) an ene ge ic
ellow (e en i he e use o mo e o see he No man chu ch)”
Emilio Mi a a ended he cong ess accompanied by
Geo ge Dwelshau e s, a Belgian psychologis who wo ked
as di ec o o he Psychology Labo a o y in Ba celona om
1920 o 1924 (see Siguan & Ki chne , 2001).
8 The cha ac e is ic blue alange shi s did no appea un il i was ounded in 1933 by P imo de Ri e a.
ADOLF MEYER AND SPAIN 123
This is no he ime o go in o de ail abou Mi a’s
accomplishmen s and his wo k’s in e na ional acclaim,
bu su ice i o say ha he wo men mus ha e had mo e
oppo uni ies o ge o know one ano he o e he cou se
o hei ca ee s. I is imp obable ha Meye would no
ha e a ended he mee ing o he Ame ican Socie y o
he Ad ancemen o Science (Sec ion I-psychology) held
in Bos on in 1933 a which Mi a, Kohle , Spea man and
Pie on we e in a endance, o ha hey would no ha e
had some con ac when Mi a was in i ed in 1942 by he
New Yo k Academy o Medicine o p esen a he Salmon
Memo ial Lec u es.9
Documen s Rela ed o he Spanish Ci il Wa : “(…)
he Spanish people ha e ough a he oic igh agains
ebels and o eign in ade s, o independence,
democ acy and p og ess”10
A signi ican po ion o he documen s connec ed o
Spain ha emain in Meye ’s a chi es ela e o he e en s
su ounding he Spanish Ci il Wa and he exile o Spanish
in ellec uals. I has been sugges ed p e iously ha he
Spanish deba e became e y quickly in e na ionalized, and
ha Ame ican in ellec uals la gely suppo ed he Republic
(Band és & Lla ona, 1996). In ac , he Spanish wa was
one whe e epo e s – pa icula ly Ame ican and B i ish
– acqui ed a p ominence no p e iously seen; w i e s o
epu e we e a imes ans o med in o wa co esponden s
o documen a y ilm-make s. In his way, he Ame ican
in ellec ual class became highly poli icized. Shaped by an
en i onmen o p o ound social and economic p oblems,
and ea ul o he ad ance o ascism in Eu ope, hey
la gely suppo ed hose loyal o he epublican go e nmen .
No only in ellec uals and a is s aligned hemsel es wi h
he Spanish Republic; Ame icans’ eac ion in suppo o i
was massi e. In addi ion o hei con ingen o olun ee s
– known as he Ab aham Lincoln B igade- a ound 2,800
men came o Spain o igh ; se e al associa ions looked
o ways o help he democ a ic Spanish go e nmen 11.
Despi e he passing o he Neu ali y Ac o 193712, hese
associa ions managed o p o ide money and humani a ian
aid, especially medical p o isions and ood. In addi ion,
9 Meye had he hono o p esen ing a he i s ins allmen o he Salmon Lec u es in 1933. In 1942, he ecei ed a medal as a p ize
o his p o essional accomplishmen s.
10 Le e om Hen y E. Sige is o Adol Meye Decembe 18, 1937.
Figu e 3. Le e om Emilio Mi a o Adol Meye on No embe 28, 1939 (The Alan Mason Chesney Medical A chi es o he Johns
Hopkins Medical Ins i u ions, wi h pe mission).
SÁNCHEZ
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ADOLF MEYER AND SPAIN 131
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Recei ed No embe 10, 2010
Re ision ecei ed Janua y 21, 2011
Accep ed Feb ua y 03, 2011
Meye ’s le e s and jou nals a e deposi ed in he Alan Mason
Chesney Medical A chi es o he Johns Hopkins Medical
Ins i u ions. Le e s ecei ed and ough d a s o le e s sen a e
ca alogued in Se ies I: Co espondence wi h indi iduals and ela ed
ma e ial. Co espondence wi h ce ain ins i u ions and associa ions
can be ound in Se ies II: Co espondence wi h socie ies and o he
o ganiza ions. The agmen om his a el jou nal is pa o
Se ies VI: Biog aphical ma e ial and memo abilia.