‘Is this real?’: production of meanings around the didactic resources of Human Anatomy during the cultural event “The Night of the Museums”

Abstract

At the Juan José Naón Museum of Human Anatomy, part of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of
Buenos Aires, there is a collection of anatomical preparations, models, mock-ups, and various types of technical images of the
human body, distributed across five thematic rooms. The museum is an open space for the general public, not solely intended
for the education of health sciences students. Given the diversity of visitors, who may or may not have prior knowledge of
human anatomy, a series of didactic and public communication strategies are deployed within the framework of cultural events.
Based on an ethnographic field record, which included photographic documentation, of the cultural event “The Night of the
Museums”, this work investigates the trajectories, modes of use, and appreciation of the didactic objects of Anatomy within
the context of the mentioned event. Our objective is to identify the different meanings constructed around the production
of the human body as an object of study and exhibition. We argue that such events incorporate greater interactivity in the
relationship between visitors and exhibited pieces, as well as didactic and dissemination strategies aimed at democratizing
the content of human anatomy.