Dark History
Mary "Typhoid": the woman who brought death into the kitchen
Mary Mallon, an Irish cook who emigrated to New York, was a healthy carrier of typhoid fever: without ever falling ill, she spread the bacterium through the food she prepared. Between 1900 and 1907, seven of the eight families she worked for were struck by typhoid. Epidemiologist George Soper identified her, but Mary refused to cooperate and was forcibly isolated. Released in 1910 with a ban on cooking, she resumed work under a false name, causing new victims. She was finally confined for 23 years, until her death. Her story still raises the conflict between individual freedom and public health.
