Instituto Argentino de Parapsychología
Instituto Argentino de Parapsychología
The Instituto Argentino de Parapsychología (Argentine Parapsychological Society) was founded in 1949. Its foundation came in direct response to the government's establishment the year before of the Institute of Applied Psychopathology with the aim of studying the practices of Spiritualists and determining if they were injurious to public welfare. The Parapsychological Society had the support of the Spiritualist groups in the country and included several outstanding Spiritualists, such as José S. Fernández and J. Ricardo Musso, in its leadership.
In response to a growing membership, the society reorganized in 1952 to provide both lectures and classes in parapsychology. It also began the first Spanish-language parapsychological journal, the Review of Parapsychology. During the next 20 years the institute, which had initially garnered the support of several academics, helped spread interest in parapsychology through the nation's university system. Musso was given an appointment to teach at the Littoral National University. Then in the late 1960s the government began to reverse its support of parapsychological research and by 1970 only one course remained. The institute also had a program of public lectures and nonuniversity-based courses for the general public. Last known address: Calle Ramon Lists 868, 1706 Domingo F. Sarmiento (Haedo) Prov. Buenos Aires, Argentina.