The human body is an important subject in the science and biology curriculum; however, research indicates that students lack identification with the bodies presented in teaching materials. In addition to biological issues, the human body must be understood as a social, historical and cultural construct, subject to normative discourses. Based on the above, our research was developed with the aim of building support to discuss how the development of the study of the human body in the 16th and 17th centuries privileged bodies to be studied and representations that point to a universal body. The historical research was developed under the historiographical lens of the Cultural History of Science with the objective of analyzing the scientific practices and visual culture involved in the study of the human body in the defined period. The dissection of human bodies and the production of images in anatomy treatises were the scientific practices analyzed, highlighting the predominance of the representation of the male/European body and the limitations in the representation of diverse bodies. Finally, we highlight the role of images in the construction of scientific knowledge about the human body and its relevance for science education, pointing to the need for a more critical and diversified representation of the human body in educational materials, in order to promote an education more inclusive and reflective.
