SINCE submucous resection of the nasal septum is probably the most frequently performed operation still wholly in the domain of the otolaryngologist, in the light of the many recent studies on the physiologic functions of the nose, and in view of the many developments which have recently been forthcoming on the subject of rhinoplasty as a restorative process for the amelioration of disturbed nasal mechanism, it is felt that it may be beneficial to reflect again on the rationale of the operation and to offer a suggestion for its possible improvement in the light of these studies. I believe that there is merit in a reappraisal of the traditional operation and in attempts toward improvement of a technique which has been so fixed that it is rare to find a paper on submucous resection in the literature of recent years.
As in any other operative procedure on the nose, an