Typhoid Mary

By: Joanna Liu
College Now Course - SCI 1

Mary Malen was a healthy carrier of typhoid. In the early 1900's there was a severe case of a disease known as typhoid. Many people in New York City and Rhode Island caught this disease from uncleanness as a result of germs and mold. Even a carrier of typhoid may be unaware that he/she is infected. Some symptoms of typhoid are diarrhea, dehydration, and fever. There are carriers, like Mary Malen, who do not know they are carries because they never experienced any symptoms.

Mary Malen was a 37 year old who worked as a cook for wealthy families. The household members that she worked for were among those numbers who caught the typhoid disease. The foods that Mary made were contaminated with typhoid bacterium. Cooks were usually infected with typhoid from uncleanness of their hands. Typhoid could only be killed with hard and long scrubbing of the germs hidden under the nails each time after using the facilities. A healthy carrier, such as Mary Malen, helped spread the disease by preparing raw food and cutting fresh peaches for her ice cream desert.

A scientist, known as George Sulper, traced the story of each carrier and found that most of them had contact with Mary Malen before the sickness. Upon the exposure of typhoid, Louie Pasteur began to study the characteristics of the disease. He discovered that typhoid consisted of microscopic bacteria that grew from unsanitary places, such as sewers and household waste. There are three types of bacteria; they are spirillum, bacillus, and cocci. A spirillum bacterium is in the shape of an "s" and contains flagella. Bacillus bacteria look like small rods that produce endospores. Bacillus rods are in yogurt. Lactobacilli are acid loving bacteria. The third type of bacteria, known as cocci, have a circular shape.

At the time, there was no cure for typhoid or any antibiotics. An antibiotic works against the organism that is causing the infection. Dr. Fleming discovered that antibiotics, such as penicillin, when present in the bloodstream inhibit the growth of bacteria by making conditions in the bloodstream unfavorable. Therefore, in order to prevent Mary Malen from continuing to spread the disease, Herman Bates, the New York City Commissioner of public health, forced her to quarantine. For a few years Mary Malen lived in Northbrother Island, South Bronx in the Riverside Hospital. Finally in 1910 they released Mary with an agreement that she will come in for regularly scheduled check ups, and that she will never work as a cook again.

Mary Malen felt insulted, defenseless and that she was treated unfairly. The scientist had completed many tests on her, some of which contained experimental drugs. They even requested that she would have her gall bladder removed. Mary Malen felt powerless against these scientists who continued to bother her, and because they never gave her a day in court to defend herself. Upon hearing about this story, William Hearst decided to finance her case by having one of his columnists, William Park, write about 50 healthy carriers of typhoid. Hearst wanted the public to know that there are carriers who are not locked up. It is unfair to Mary Malen because she worked as a cook, so scientists believed that she is the highest at risk to be spreading germs.

After 1914, Mary Malen had disappeared. There were no traces of where she lived or where she worked. However, a few years later, once again there were severe cases of typhoid at a hospital. George Sulper was contacted to help find the typhoid carrier, and to his surprise, Mary Malen was in the kitchen of the hospital. She finally understood why they locked her up and performed so many tests on her. As a cook, Mary did not want to give up her trade. However, she did not want to infect more people. After this incident Mary agreed to stay on Quarantine Island. For the rest of her life she lived on the secluded island, but was allowed one day trips to New York City.

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