This text is part of the special booklet The summer of museums
Magnificently installed in its brand new building, the Armand-Frappier Health Museum offers two permanent exhibitions and a temporary one to introduce young and old to the fascinating mysteries of human health.
At the end of his life, Armand Frappier dreamed of a place dedicated to medical sciences and microbiology; it has been done for more than 30 years thanks to the impetus of the Institut Armand-Frappier. This museum, which pays homage to the man and his considerable heritage, demystifies the workings of preventive medicine to the general public through exhibitions, but also with a panoply of educational and interactive activities. These invite us to reflect on the challenges of human health, but also that of the planet. And to better understand what connects them.
“This jewel of an institution combines scientific culture, heritage, health, education, summarizes Guylaine Archambault, general manager of the museum. Today’s scientific knowledge helps people to take a critical and informed look at health issues and to make decisions favorable to their well-being. We are all actors in health: researchers who push back the frontiers of knowledge, caregivers when health is lacking, political decision-makers. We have seen this clearly during the pandemic: all decisions taken collectively have an impact on individual health. »
The 2023 version of the Museum
Since last January, this museum has been located in a brand new space, near the Cosmodôme de Laval, as virtuous as it is inviting: the two-storey building, LEED certified, contains vast rooms that let in light through its large bay windows. . It includes two exhibition halls, four fully equipped laboratories to introduce young people to scientific observations and manipulations and three multifunctional rooms for activities, particularly for schools. The exhibits presented there are designed by the museum team.
In addition to the new mural exhibit on the life and major contribution of Dr. Frappier to the introduction of microbiology in Quebec, the other permanent exhibit entitled 4, 3, 2, 1… Cheers! focuses on the four scales of human health: molecules and cells, individuals, populations and the planet. She present, among other things, the tools allowing the human body to fight against disease and ensure its physical and mental well-being. A series of modules devoted to the anatomical systems—lymphatic, skeletal, muscular, reproductive and integumentary—demystify the complex functions of metabolism and emphasize the effect of healthy lifestyle habits on health. Social determinants, genetics, inclusion and therapies through contact with nature: this exhibition democratizes the understanding of complex notions that concern us all, but which very often remain confined to the medical world.
Pandemics. Humanity challenged
In recent years, the team has worked on this temporary interactive exhibition in the form of a quiz on the major health crises – including that of COVID-19 – that have marked history: plague, cholera, influenza and smallpox. The opportunity to demonstrate how these troubled times have made it possible to advance the understanding of diseases, but also the progress of science. Thanks to a counting of points with an interactive bracelet, the visitor can receive the result of his test by e-mail. An exhibition for the general public that gives the opportunity to increase their knowledge while taking up attractive challenges. In connection, the workshop in the lab Scientific procedure. The vaccine race! makes it possible to demystify the action of vaccination in infectious diseases.
From next October, a new temporary exhibition will be devoted to food. Eat. The exhibition that nourishes will make the link between food and well-being through three distinct areas: the role of food in the functions of the human body, in sensory pleasure and in the notions of equity and sustainability. All following an approach that is as rigorous as it is playful, the very one that makes the mark of this institution.
Science day camps
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.