The Cook Who Refused to Believe She Was Typhoid Mary

Mary Mallon was the first identified asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever in the United States. Between 1900 and 1915 she infected at least 51 people while working as a cook. She was arrested twice and held in isolation without trial. She spent a total of 26 years in forced quarantine. She died in 1938 still in custody. Her autopsy confirmed live typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder. She had been infectious her entire adult life.

INTERESTING FACT Mary Mallon never accepted she was the source of the infections. She believed she was being persecuted because she was Irish and poor. She sued the health department twice. She lost both times. The term Typhoid Mary became a phrase used to describe anyone who spreads disease while denying responsibility.

← Back to the archive