May 11, 2020
4 min read
Typhoid Mary and the Ethics of Forced Isolation
After years of forced isolation as an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever, Mary Mallon, better remembered as “Typhoid Mary,” regained her freedom(albeit briefly) on February 19, 1910.
The catch? Mary could never work as a cook again.
Mary acquiesced and signed an affidavit stating that she
“is prepared to change her occupation…
