Due Reparation. Honour Disputes in Biomedical Sciences in Buenos Aires, 1870–1940

This manuscript focuses on the incidents, trials at courts of honour and duels involving important figures at the University of Buenos Aires School of Medical Sciences, which ruptured the peaceful surface of this institution in order to protect epistemic practices and settings. The existence in itself of the honour culture in the Buenos Aires aristocratic elite is, perhaps, as curious as its use by distinguished local doctors with the purpose of resolving disputes caused by clashing interests—which were related to their profession and experimental work. The conflicts discussed here shed light on a classic issue in the social history of science, technology and medicine: the collective bargaining of credibility in matters personal, professional and research-related.