Documentary Collection Dr. Emili Mira i López

By courtesy of the family of Dr. Emili Mira i López, and in particular his daughter Mrs. Montserrat Mira, a bibliographic collection of 39 books has been ceded to the FCCSM: 24 works by the author and 15 about the author.

The archive also includes an extensive collection of articles, both by Dr. Mira himself and by other authors who analyze his work. The list comprises writings published in specialized journals and general interest newspapers from 1964 to 2010.

The FCCSM assumes this privilege with the commitment and responsibility to ensure its custody, preservation, and to make it available to all those who may be interested in consulting it.

For more information, please contact the secretariat of our Foundation. info@fccsm.net 93 238 62 47.

Dr. Emili Mira i López was born in 1896 in Santiago de Cuba, where his father was stationed as a military doctor. The family returned to Spain in 1898 after the Cuban War was lost and settled in Barcelona in 1902. Emili Mira completed his medical degree at the age of 20 with an extraordinary prize from the University of Barcelona. Sponsored by the Barcelona City Council and Provincial Council, he visited the best European experimental psychology laboratories and in 1926 took over the direction of the Institute for Professional Guidance in Barcelona, initially under the Provincial Council and later under the Catalan government. Here, Mira created a psychopedagogy section that gained significant recognition in Europe.

Despite his youth, during these years from 1926 to 1938, Mira displayed extraordinary activity. In terms of care, he was co-director of a private medical rest center and, later, of the first clinic for the diagnosis and treatment of childhood behavioral disorders, the first center of its kind in Spain. In 1935, he was appointed director of the Pere Mata Institute in Reus and, in the same year, of the Psychiatric Sanatorium of Sant Boi de Llobregat, which he directed until 1936. In 1937, he received the appointment of head of the Psychiatric Services of the Republican army.

In the academic field, he was chosen as the professor of the first chair of psychiatry in Spain at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He teaches courses in various countries, including the United States of America. He introduced psychoanalytic theories and psychopedagogy to Spain. Furthermore, he was involved in Vocational Guidance, forensic psychology, and experimental psychology through the organization of courses and conferences, as well as the publication of several books.

In research, Emili Mira investigates the impact of war on the mind. He also develops a large number of tests to identify character and temperament, which are used in personnel selection, clinical psychology, and education.

The Republican defeat caused Mira to initially go into exile in London. Later, he moved to the United States and from there to other countries on the American continent - Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela, Chile, and Argentina. Finally, from Montevideo, Uruguay, he went to Brazil, where he took up residence until his death from a heart attack.

In this South American phase, Mira develops intense activity which culminates in the publication of 22 books during his life and three more posthumously.