Typhoid
Mary
Typhoid Fever
 Salmonella typhi bacteria
 Contaminated food or water
 Fecal contamination
 Close contact with infected person
 High fever, headache, abdominal pain, constipation or
diarrhea, red rash
 Uncommon in industrialized countries
 Treat with antibiotics
Typhoid Mary
 Mary Mallon
 A house cook in NYC at the turn of the 20th Century
 ‘Healthy Carrier’
 Carrier from birth?
 Moved from family to family when members fell ill
 53 people infected, 3 fatalities
 Quarantined against her will (1915)
 Viewed as a criminal
On Her Death…
 Quarantined ‘til death in 1938
 Died of Pneumonia, age 69
 Still infectious at death
 Live typhoid bacteria found in her gallbladder at
autopsy….
Sources
 Mayoclinic.com. (2010). MayoClinic.com: Typhoid fever. Retrieved
October 17, 2010 from, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/typhoidfever/DS00538
 Trutv.com. (2010). Trutv Crime Library Criminal Minds and Methods:
Typhoid Mary. Retrieved October 17, 2010 from,
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/typhoid_mar
y/8.html
 Victorianadventureenthusiast.com. (ND). Historical Perspectives:
Typhoid Mary. Retrieved October 17, 2010 from
http://www.victorianadventureenthusiast.com/Mary.html
 Wikipedia.com. (2010). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Typhoid Mary.
Retrieved October 17, 2010 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_Mary