NOVA
The Most Dangerous Woman in America
name:
score:
Before watching the video write definitions for these terms:
1.
bacteria:
2.
contagious:
3.
epidemiology: noun, The branch of medicine that deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control
of diseases and other factors relating to health.
4.
infectious disease:
5.
quarantine: noun, a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from
elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed : many animals die in
quarantine. verb [ trans. ] impose such isolation on (a person, animal, or place); put in quarantine.
Circle the point of view to which you were assigned.

public health officials

Mary Mallon
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families whose members contracted typhoid fever from Mallon

general public
During the video, take notes on the following:
Describe typhoid fever:
6.
symptoms: weeks of fever, _____________, delirium, _____________ .
7.
virulence: _____ out of 10.
8.
transmission:
9.
cause:
10. In 1907, it was discovered that people who had recovered from typhoid fever could still transfer the bacteria.
They were called _________ __________________.
11. Name the epidemiologist who tracked down and first contacted Mary Mallon. ________________.
12. Why did he think that it was Mary who was responsible?
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13. What was Mallon’s response to his first contact? _________________________________________
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14. Why do you suppose she reacted that way? ___________________________________________
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15. Why was Mallon so certain she did not give anyone typhoid.
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16. Mary was born in County Tyrone in Ireland in _____________________ one of the poorest counties.
17. Mary first lived with whom when she arrived? _____________________________________________
18. Mary worked her way up the employment ladder working as a laundress/seamstress, learning to ________
well and manage a __________ until she was hired by the most prominent families. She cared for the
families both physically and emotionally.
19. Contrast Mallon’s working class world with that of the more educated public health officials who pursued her
and speculate how those differences may have affected how Mallon was viewed.
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20. What was one of the policies put forth by the New York public health department that attempted to stem
such diseases as typhoid fever, cholera, scarlet fever and tuberculosis.
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21. Willard Parker Hospital was an insult to Mallon. Why? ___________________________________
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22. What was an experimental procedure conducted on Mallon while she was there? ______________
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23. What physical ailments did Mallon endure and for how long? ______________________________
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24. What were the results of the tests conducted by Mallon’s specialist? ________________________
25. What was the result of Mallon’s legal bid to win freedom from the island? ____________________
26. What year was Mallon finally released? _______
27. What was the agreement that she had to make before she was released? ____________________
28. What did she do after her release? ___________________________________________________
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29. What was it like to work as a laundress? _______________________________________________
30. What else happened shortly after her release that made it nearly impossible for Mallon to make a living?
___________________________________________________________________________________
31. How did the authorities catch up with Mallon? ______________________________________________
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32. Eventually she was given a job on the island. What was it? ___________________________________
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33. In which year did Mary Mallon die? _______
HOMEWORK
34. How old was she when she died? _______
a) From the point of view that you were assigned, write about the attitude of the person or group you followed in
the program.
b) In your own opinion, was their attitude justified? Explain.
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DAY 2
GROUP WORK: Successful group work requires maturity and cooperation.

Let everyone speak,

Do not insist on one point of view,

Encourage quiet people to contribute, and

Listen.
You must be respectful of everyone’s contributions. Failure to do this will result in receiving half credit for
the activity (+20/40). Mrs. Loyd has the final call on the matter.
SMALL GROUP: Spend 10 minutes with your assigned group. Take turns so group members can tell what they
wrote, then discuss. Record the general consensus for the group’s attitude (the assigned perspective) and some of
your group’s opinions about that point of view.
_______________________________________________________________________________
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LARGE GROUP: As a member of each group reports on their group’s consensus and opinion, take notes on how
the other groups’ views differ.
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INDIVIDUAL WORK: Answer the following questions on your own.
Mary Mallon was confined because as a healthy carrier of typhoid she could transmit the disease to
others, yet she continued to work in a job in which transmission was likely.
35. Did public health officials make the right decision when they removed her from her job? Why or why not? ______________________________________________________________________________
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36. What are the rights and responsibilities of an individual who can transmit a disease?
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37. What are the rights and responsibilities of the society in which the individual lives?
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What are our school’s policies for people with contagious diseases like:
38. pink eye (conjunctivitis):
_______________________________________________________________________________
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39. mononucleosis:
_______________________________________________________________________________
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40. HIV/AIDS:
_______________________________________________________________________________
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41. MRSA (methycillin resistant staff aureus): (for students/for athletes)
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42. What do you think about our existing policies? Defend your reasoning.
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