“Typhoid Mary” was the nickname that was given to Mary Mallon (1869-1938) who was an Irish cook and the first person in the United States identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the bacteria associated with typhoid fever. Between the years of 1900 and 1907, Mallon worked for a number of families, and wherever she was employed, members of the household would fall ill with typhoid fever. Mary, herself never showed any symptoms of the disease. The outbreaks usually occurred 1-2 weeks after she started working at a new household.
In 1906 a sanitary engineer hired by one of the affected families identified her as the likely source of the infections. She denied being a carrier of typhoid fever and refused to provide urine and stool samples for testing. In 1907, the New York City Health Department forcibly took Mallon into custody and placed her in quarantine on North Brother Island in the East River. Tests confirmed that she was an asymptomatic carrier of Salmonella Typhi. She remained in quarantine for three years.
During the quarantine she sued the health department, arguing that her detention was unjust and that she had not committed any crime. This case brought attention to the rights of asymptomatic carriers and public health practices. She was released from quarantine in 1910 under the condition that she would not work as a cook and would take hygiene precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. She resumed working as a cook after changing her name, leading to new outbreaks of typhoid fever. In 1915, she was identified as the source of outbreaks and was again quarantined on North Brother Island, remaining in isolation for the rest of her life.
This case remained a subject of public fascination, controversy and debates about the ethics of her detention and the balance between individual rights and public health. It is the subject of numerous books, articles and documentaries highlighting the challenges of dealing with asymptomatic carriers of infectious diseases particularity during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The case raised important questions about civil liberties and public health responsibilities.
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