La nariz polisémica. Técnica quirúrgica, psicología y mercado de trabajo en la historia de la cirugía plástica nasal en Argentina en la primera mitad del siglo XX

The aim of this paper is to investigate the history of nasal plastic surgery in Argentina in the first half of the twentieth century. In order to do so, I resort to expert and popular medical publications, as well as some publications in graphic media on the subject. The first section is devoted to show the relevance that reconstructive surgery of the nose assumed in the origins of the specialty at national and international level. The second one shows the centrality assumed by the international diffusion of endonasal rhinoplasty as a condition of possibility for the expansion of cosmetic nasal surgeries in our country. In the two closing sections, I inquire into the justifications used by plastic surgeons to confer legitimacy to such cosmetic interventions. The first one explores the psychological justifications, which show the subjective suffering of “defective” patients and the capacity of cosmetic surgery to effectively solve these conflicts. The second analyzes the economic justifications, centered on the employment problems resulting from aesthetic “defects”. To exemplify this point, I focus on cosmetic rhinoplasties performed on movie actors and actresses. This article aims to make an original contribution by addressing an issue that has not been investigated from a historical perspective in Argentina.