Typhoid Mary

Typhoid Mary was an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen associated with typhoid fever who was believed to have given rise to multiple outbreaks of typhoid fever. Named as Mary Mallon at birth, she became better known by the name of “Typhoid Mary” as she was presumed to have infected 51 people with the typhoid pathogen, leading to the deaths of three. Born in Ireland, she migrated to the United States as a teenager looking for a job. A tall, well-built girl, she was a hard worker who believed that she could make a good life for herself in the United States. She was very happy when she was appointed to cook for the large family of a wealthy New York banker. But something strange happened shortly after she started working for them—several people in the household fell ill with a fatal fever and died. Terrified that she too might contract the deadly illness, Mary resigned from the job. She, however, did not fall ill and went on to cook for another family. Weirdly enough members of this family too fell ill, as did the others who Mary cooked for. Later on she was identified as a carrier of the pathogen associated with typhoid fever and was isolated by public health authorities.