November 18, 2024 | Tom Miller

The Gripping Story Of Typhoid Mary


The Story Behind The Nickname

You might have heard the term “Typhoid Mary” before. Like “Patient Zero”, it usually refers to someone responsible for spreading a disease to other people. But Typhoid Mary was a real person, and her story is a pretty sad one.

“Typhoid” Mary Mallon

Mary Mallon was born in Ireland in 1869. She emigrated to America in 1884, at the age of 15, and found work as a maid. Mary lived with her aunt and uncle in New York City and eventually became a cook for rich families in the area.

Mary Mallon in a hospital bed. She was forcibly quarantined as a carrier of typhoid fever in 1907 for three years and then again from 1915 until her death in 1938.NOVA, Wikimedia Commons

Advertisement

Looking For A Better Life

Like many poor Irish, Mary moved to the United States seeking a better life. The Great Famine in Ireland in the mid-19th Century spurred many to board ships and seek their fortunes across the Atlantic Ocean.

Mary Mallon (1869–1938) was nicknamed Unknown Artist, Wikimedia Commons

What Is A “Typhoid Mary”?

The reason you may be familiar with this term is that after the sad case of Mary Mallon, the term “Typhoid Mary” became a catchphrase for people who unknowingly spread disease or misfortune to others. 

Boy receiving a medicationVachon John, Picryl

Typhoid Fever, Briefly

Typhoid fever is a serious disease that develops primarily in the gastrointestinal system. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and rose-colored skin rashes. Typhoid spreads easily in environments with poor sanitation or poor access to clean drinking water and, in severe cases, can be fatal.

Early 20th century medical personalSpaarnestad Photo, Picryl

Advertisement

There’s Something About Mary

Mary Mallon was what is referred to as an “asymptomatic” carrier of a disease. She was infected with the bacteria that causes typhoid fever, but she did not develop any of the symptoms. Historians believe Mary’s mother was infected while pregnant, and the disease passed on to Mary.

Nursing staff at Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital gather for afternoon tea, Brisbane, ca. 1899 Unknown Artist, Picryl

Just Doing Her Job

After her time as a maid, Mary took jobs as a cook in various places in New York. Although no one made the connection right away, typhoid fever seemed to follow her. The outbreaks were investigated, but never attributed, at least not right away, to Mary, as she would leave once the disease manifested.

Tea party in the garden, possibly at Nanango, 1900-1910John Oxley Library, Picryl

Mamaroneck, New York

Mary’s first job as a cook was in Mamaroneck, New York. Mamaroneck is a small town in Westchester County, NY. Within two weeks of Mary getting her job in the town, residents began showing symptoms of Typhoid Fever.

Westchester Court HouseUnknown Artist, Picryl

Advertisement

Manhattan

Mary’s next position took her to the island of Manhattan to work for an affluent family. Not long after starting her employment, members of the family developed fevers and diarrhea. She changed jobs and worked for a local lawyer, leaving after several people in the house became ill.

 Manhattan, New York in 1931Unknown Artist, Picryl

From Manhattan To Tuxedo Park

Mary worked for a number of other families between 1904 and 1907. Either family members or members of the staff all contracted Typhoid Fever. An investigation of an outbreak at her Tuxedo Park employer placed the blame on an infected laundry worker, but nothing was ever proved.

Tuxedo Lake in winterBain News Service, Picryl

Mary Moves To Oyster Bay

Banker Charles Eliot Warren employed Mary as a cook in 1906. The family lived in a house in Oyster Bay, NY that summer, during which time six of the 11 people in the household came down with typhoid fever. The disease was not common in Oyster Bay, prompting an investigation into the outbreak.

Early 20th century kitchenDigital museum, Picryl

Advertisement

The Landlord Finds… Nothing

At first, it was assumed that the disease had been contracted from something in the plumbing. The landlord of the house the Warrens rented performed tests on the water in the pipes, faucets, toilets, and even the cesspool, but found no trace of the typhoid bacteria.

Screenshot from the documentary Typhoid Mary (1993)Nancy Porter Productions, Typhoid Mary (1993)

The Investigation Begins

After the plumbing came back (mostly) clean, the owner of the house hired sanitation engineer George Soper to investigate the outbreak. As the disease was primarily known to affect lower-class people in unsanitary conditions, it seemed strange that a rich family in a clean summer home would contract the fever.

Screenshot from the documentary Typhoid Mary (1993)Nancy Porter Productions, Typhoid Mary (1993)

The Park Avenue Outbreak

Soper investigated typhoid outbreaks in the state and found an ongoing one in the home of the Bownes family in New York City. Mary Mallon was still their cook at the time. Realizing that Mary fit the description of the similarly-afflicted Warren family’s cook, he confronted her about spreading the disease.

Screenshot from the documentary Typhoid Mary (1993)Nancy Porter Productions, Typhoid Mary (1993)

Advertisement

An Unhappy Mary

We have to remember that the idea of someone carrying a disease but not showing any symptoms was unheard of in the early 20th century. Mary claimed that typhoid was everywhere, and became quite upset with Soper when he accused her of causing the outbreaks. Mary refused to give samples for Soper to test.

Screenshot from the documentary Typhoid Mary (1993)Nancy Porter Productions, Typhoid Mary (1993)

George Soper’s Report

After this encounter, Soper traced Mary’s employment history and found that typhoid outbreaks seemed to follow her around. In 1907, Soper published a report of his investigation in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It was here that Mary’s asymptomatic nature started to come into focus.

Screenshot from the documentary Typhoid Mary (1993)Nancy Porter Productions, Typhoid Mary (1993)

Into Quarantine

Despite being in “perfect health”, NYC health investigators came to realize that Mary was indeed spreading typhoid fever to the families for whom she had worked. Dr Sara Josephine Baker and five police officers forced Mary into an ambulance and took her to Willard Parker Hospital.

Screenshot from the documentary Typhoid Mary (1993)Nancy Porter Productions, Typhoid Mary (1993)

Advertisement

At The Hospital

Still swearing she was not transmitting the disease, Mary was restrained to a bed and forced to give samples upon entering the hospital. Huge numbers of typhoid bacteria were found in her samples.

Screenshot from the documentary Typhoid Mary (1993)Nancy Porter Productions, Typhoid Mary (1993)

Sentenced To Quarantine

In March 1907, Mary was sentenced to quarantine on North Brother Island, located in New York’s East River. While on the island, Mary continued to provide test samples to doctors. Some suggested that she have her gallbladder, seen as the source of the bacteria, removed. Mary refused, still not believing she was a carrier.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

And Then Came The Nickname

George Soper’s article attracted a great deal of attention to Mary. She was one of the first instances of someone carrying a disease but not suffering from its effects. It was during this time of attention that Ms Mallon picked up the unfortunate name that would follow her for the rest of her life: Typhoid Mary.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Advertisement

Appeal To The Law

Soper approached Mary about a book he was planning to write about her case. He offered to share the royalties with her to help her support herself. Mary angrily refused. She hated the nickname she’d been given, and even sought legal help, unsuccessfully, to fight its use in media reports.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

A Harsh Sentence

Mary underwent many different medications during her time on the island, along with the continual sample-taking. Some doctors believed that quarantining her was too harsh and that some education about her condition could help her return to society and keep those around her safe.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Almost Three Years

After two years and 11 months, Mary was released from quarantine. It was decided that disease carriers should not be quarantined, but Mary had to make assurances that she would take steps to not infect those around her, including no longer working in her chosen profession as a cook.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Advertisement

Five Years Of Struggle

Mary found employment as a laundry worker, but the job paid substantially less than that of a cook. An accident on the job caused a severe wound on Mary’s arm, and the subsequent infection left her unable to work for almost six months.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

No Longer Mary Mallon

After a number of difficult years, she began working as a cook again, using fake names to disguise her true, and well-known, identity. Virtually everywhere she worked suffered outbreaks of typhoid.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

George Soper Returns

Considered an expert on Mary’s case, George Soper was called back in to investigate the various outbreaks. It was not until Mary took a job at Sloane Hospital for Women that he was able to get a good description of her and realized that Mary was back to her old profession of cooking.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Advertisement

On The Run

Mary realized that both Soper and the police were on to her, and she fled New York City for Long Island. But even as she tried to escape capture, police caught up with her and Mary returned to the familiar quarantine of North Brother Island.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

In For The Long Haul

Imagine having to spend the rest of your life in one place, with no choice in the matter. This is what happened to Mary Mallon when she was sentenced to her second quarantine. From 1915 to 1938, Mary lived and worked on North Brother Island, with only a few trips to the mainland allowed from time to time.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Kinder Treatment

10 years after Mary’s second quarantine began, Dr Alexandra Plavska set up a lab on the island and offered Mary a job. Little else is known about Mary’s second quarantine, but it seems that she was at least given things to do, rather than being strapped to a bed and having samples taken.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Advertisement

In The End

Mary spent the rest of her days on North Brother Island at the Riverside Hospital. She suffered a stroke in 1932 that paralyzed half of her body, and in 1938 succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 69. Her ashes were buried in Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Mary Mallon’s Legacy

One of the reasons Mary’s story is so important is that it brought to light the fact that someone could be infected with a disease but show no outward, or inward, symptoms. Mary never developed a fever or rashes. For most of her life, she never believed that she was a carrier.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Medical Technology

Part of the problem of Mary’s dubious legacy is that the medical technology of the time just wasn’t good enough. There were no antibiotics to fight the disease. Experts claimed that the bacteria resided in her gallbladder, and suggested it be removed, but that operation was quite often fatal. There were no good options.

Screenshot from the documentary Drunk History (2013-2019)Gary Sanchez Productions, Drunk History (2013-2019)

Advertisement

How Many People Did Mary Affect?

Poor record keeping, and Mary’s refusal to cooperate, make it difficult to ascertain just how many people she infected with typhoid fever. Some estimates claim that at least 120 people caught the disease from Mary, and others say that there may have been up to 50 fatalities as a result of her contact.

The Ladies' home journalWyeth N. C., Picryl

Not Just Medical Lessons

Mary’s case also brought to light how carriers of diseases were treated. Some argue that if Mary was actually aware of the effect she was having on those around her, the resulting fatalities could be considered grounds to label her a murderer. If she didn’t know, however, the ethics of her arrest raise some questions.

Early 20th century nursesGeorge Grantham Bain, Picryl

Other Asymptomatic Carriers

Other “healthy” typhoid carriers were identified in the first part of the 20th century in the wake of Mary’s case. Tony Labella, an Italian immigrant, “Typhoid John”, a guide in the Adirondacks, and restaurateur Alphonse Cotils were all among asymptomatic transmitters of the disease.

J. Montefiore Meyers going to jail, New YorkGeorge Grantham Bain, Picryl

Advertisement

What Did We Learn From Mary?

Mary Mallon was the first known case of an asymptomatic disease carrier. This was a vitally important discovery in understanding the way that diseases spread. Before Mary’s case, it was assumed that it took a visibly sick person or an unclean environment to transmit bacteria.

Medical personal teaching childrenNational Library of Medicine, Picryl

Personal And Social Responsibility

Mary’s case also highlighted something that became very important during the COVID-19 pandemic. What is the responsibility that an individual has to their community, and vice versa? Teaching Mary to manage her condition was a precursor to the masking and social distancing many of us experienced in the early 2020s.

Medical personal doing researchUnknown Artist, Picryl

Cultural Legacy

Both Mary and her nickname have inspired stories and songs by numerous artists. Marvel Comics features a disease-carrying super-villain named Typhoid Mary. A butcher knife from Mary’s days as a cook is an illness-spreading supernatural artifact in the television series Warehouse 13.

People  posing for a photo in a kitchenUnknown Artist, Picryl

Advertisement

Mary’s Story

A fictionalized account of Mary’s initial spread of the disease was portrayed on the television series The Knick. Actor Melissa McMeekin played Mary as a cook unknowingly spreading typhoid to wealthy families.

Kitchen of the Wilhelmina HouseStadsarchief Amsterdam, Picryl

Just Mary

With all the negative associations that the name Typhoid Mary carries, it’s easy to forget that Mary Mallon herself was not a bad person. The lack of knowledge and information available at the time meant that no one, not Mary or her doctors, could have predicted her effect on the people around her.

Bowls of ice creamBoston Public Library, Picryl


READ MORE

The First Rulers Of Kingdoms And Empires

All kingdoms and empires have to begin somewhere, These were the people who created them—whether by force or diplomacy—here are the first rulers of kingdoms and empires.
December 11, 2024 Jack Hawkins

Things Invented In WWI

Pilates might be one of the most popular fitness routines in the world, but more people need to know about its heartbreaking origins in WWI.
December 9, 2024 Mark Schilling

The Last Man To Die In WWI

Henry Nicholas John Gunther wanted to end WWI as a hero—but he had no idea that instead of charging to victory, he was rushing to his doom.
December 9, 2024 Julian Karas
Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers comedy films wearing lamp shade magician fez hat circa 1940.

Celebrities We Didn't Know Were Spies

Harpo Marx visited the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Luckily, the KGB didn’t search him—because if they’d found the secret package taped to his leg, he would’ve been a dead man.
December 6, 2024 Samantha Henman

Inventors Who Were Killed By Their Creations

Sometimes, inventors make things with the best of intentions but, unfortunately, receive the worst outcomes. Here are some of the world's brightest minds who were struck down by their creations.
December 6, 2024 Jack Hawkins

Iconic Brands That Had Epic Downfalls

If these iconic brands were part of your childhood, you'd know how disappointed you were when they shut down. Here are some iconic brands that had epic downfalls.
November 28, 2024 Jack Hawkins