POSITIVISM, CARLOS CHAGAS, AND THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW DISEASE

The discovery of Chagas disease in 1909 represents a landmark in the history of medicine and science in Brazil, situated within broader scientific, political, and social transformations that marked the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This article examines the influence of positivism as a philosophical, epistemological, and institutional framework that shaped scientific practice, medical education, and public health policies in the country. It explores how positivist thought promoted empirical observation, experimentation, and the rational organization of knowledge, contributing to the emergence of tropical medicine and the consolidation of biomedical research. The scientific trajectory of Carlos Chagas is analyzed within this context, emphasizing the interconnection between science, state-building processes, and national modernization projects, as well as the strategic role played by institutions such as the Oswaldo Cruz Institute. The study argues that the discovery of American trypanosomiasis was not an isolated scientific achievement, but rather the outcome of a favorable intellectual, political, and institutional environment shaped by positivist ideals, scientific professionalization, and the expansion of public health initiatives in early twentieth-century Brazil.