This paper focuses on historical episodes related to medical research concerning yellow fever (1881-1903), and attempts to discuss (a) the influence that economic, social and political factors exert on scientific research; (b) the collective, polemical and nonlinear nature of the process of production of knowledge in science; (c) the arbitrary characteristic of scientific knowledge, in that it represents "a certain point of view", and it"s not perennial or elaborated exclusively on objective grounds; (d) the limited role played by experimental demonstrations, that are not "irrefutable"; and finally (e) the role played by paradigms, that lead not only to fruitful ways, but also to dead-ends. The intention is to provide suggestionss that are useful both to the science education researchers and teachers.
History of Science; Science Education; yellow fever