The Espriu Foundation, in collaboration with ASISA, Assistència Sanitària and Scias-Hospital de Barcelona, organized an event on the 24th of January to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Gregorio Marañón's death. During the tribute, Antonio López Vega, professor of Contemporary History at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, gave a lecture titled "Gregorio Marañon: a Catalanist Spaniard" who remembered the person and the thoughts of this doctor, who was well ahead of his time.

 

The event, held at the Scias Co-operative's Hospital de Barcelona, was attended by the president of Scias-Hospital de Barcelona, Teresa Basurte; the president of Assistència Sanitària, Dr. Ignacio Orce; the ASISA CEO, Dr. Enrique de Porres and the vice-president of Espriu Foundation, Dr. José Carlos Guisado.

During his speech, López Vega contemplated on the relationship that Dr. Gregorio Marañón had with region of Catalonia. This relationship was strongly marked by his idea of Spain, very much along the lines of the Second Republic, which were based on a plural and rich concept of Spain thanks to its cultural diversity. According to López Vega, Marañón perfectly understood that Catalonia and the Catalans were a fundamental and irreplaceable part of that plural Spain and therefore, their uniqueness and specificity would have to be recognized. In his writings, he underlined that to deny the uniqueness of Catalonia within Spain was a serious mistake, and claimed the Catalonian heritage as Spanish heritage, recognizing Catalonia as one of the motors behind the making of Spain.

 

Following the lecture, there was a reception where the attending participants could share opinions and talk about the ideas of Dr. Marañón and his ties with Catalonia.