While vacationing in Long Island in 1906, a wealthy banker’s
family contracted typhoid. Concerned for the reputation of his summer home,
their landlord hired a sanitary engineer to pinpoint the source of the
infection. His conclusion? Their cook, Mary Mallon, had prepared fresh peach
ice cream. If she'd baked peach pie or even washed her hands, things would have
ended differently. “Typhoid Mary” was responsible for more than 51 cases and at
least 3 deaths – probably many more, because she used several aliases. Mary had
contracted the disease and spread it without ever having symptoms. Initially,
the New York Health Department confined her on North Brother Island. William
Randolph Hearst (who loved any controversy that would sell his newspapers) paid
for her legal defense, and she was released after promising she would never
work as a cook again. Mary was unable (or unwilling) to keep her promise, and
was returned to the island for the rest of her life.
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