Mary Mallon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mallon in 1909 | |
| Born | September 23, 1869 Cookstown, County Tyrone, Ireland |
| Died | November 11, 1938 (aged 69) North Brother Island, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Saint Raymond's Cemetery, The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation | Cook |
| Known for | Asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever |
Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938), commonly known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish-born American cook who is believed to have infected between 51 and 122 people with typhoid fever. The infections caused three confirmed deaths, with unconfirmed estimates of as many as 50. She was the first person in the United States identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogenic bacterium Salmonella typhi.[1][2] She was forcibly quarantined twice by authorities, the second time for the remainder of her life because she persisted in working as a cook and thereby exposed others to the disease. Mallon died after a total of nearly 30 years quarantined.[3][4] Her popular nickname has since become a term for persons who spread disease or other misfortune.
- ^ Marineli et al. 2013.
- ^ "'Typhoid Mary' Dies Of A Stroke At 68. Carrier of Disease, Blamed for 51 Cases and 3 Deaths, but Immune". The New York Times. November 12, 1938. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
- ^ The Gospel of Germs: Men, Women, and the Microbe in American Life, ISBN 0674357086
- ^ Typhoid Mary: An Urban Historical, ISBN 160819518X