Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938) who was known as "Typhoid Mary", was the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the United States, having contracted a mild case herself at some stage. She was blamed for spreading typhoid to 51 people, three of whom died, over the course of her career as a cook.
The 1903 New York epidemic was found to have begun with households where Mary had been a cook. When discovered, Mary disappeared and she continued to spread the illness by working with food under assumed names and when she was finally tracked down by a sanitary engineer, she refused medical help and claimed ignorance about hand washing. Typhoid Mary refused to cooperate with investigators, even refusing an offer of royalties on a book about the outbreak.
In 1907 the New York City Department of Health authorities had Mary committed to an isolation center, she was released three years later on the condition that she would she never accept employment that involved the cooking or handling food.
In 1914 there were outbreaks of typhoid at a sanatorium in Newfoundland, New Jersey, and at Sloane maternity Hospital in Manhattan. Mary had been a cook at both places. This time she was apprehended while preparing gelatin for a friend and she was returned to isolation center on North Brother Island, where she remained for the rest of her life.
On November 11, 1938, Mary died of pneumonia at age 69. A post-mortem found evidence of live typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder.
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| A historical poster warning against acting like Typhoid Mary |
The 1903 New York epidemic was found to have begun with households where Mary had been a cook. When discovered, Mary disappeared and she continued to spread the illness by working with food under assumed names and when she was finally tracked down by a sanitary engineer, she refused medical help and claimed ignorance about hand washing. Typhoid Mary refused to cooperate with investigators, even refusing an offer of royalties on a book about the outbreak.
In 1907 the New York City Department of Health authorities had Mary committed to an isolation center, she was released three years later on the condition that she would she never accept employment that involved the cooking or handling food.
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| Mary Mallon in a hospital bed during her first quarantine |
In 1914 there were outbreaks of typhoid at a sanatorium in Newfoundland, New Jersey, and at Sloane maternity Hospital in Manhattan. Mary had been a cook at both places. This time she was apprehended while preparing gelatin for a friend and she was returned to isolation center on North Brother Island, where she remained for the rest of her life.
On November 11, 1938, Mary died of pneumonia at age 69. A post-mortem found evidence of live typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder.
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