The history of science shows that the scientific advancements in a particular area may impact the development of other areas of knowledge. This work presents a historical review of the way in which research on tuberculosis has led to the discovery and better understanding of the immune response, not necessarily related to tuberculosis. Phenomena like T-cell mediated immunity, delayed hypersensitivity, genetics of the resistance and susceptibility to infections and the presentation of protein and non-protein antigens have been understood thanks to findings in the tuberculosis model. Additionally, the delayed hypersensitivity tests and the adjuvants were developed through research in tuberculosis. Given that this disease continues to be one of the major public health problems worldwide and that its control would require intensive scientific research it is possible to foresee that it will continue teaching us about important biological phenomena, even beyond the tuberculosis boundaries.