Out of all of the historical accounts of food safety and public health the story of “Typhoid Mary” is one that is worth repeating to anyone who is learning about the subject.
Mary Mallon was asymptomatic (did not present any symptoms) she would not have known she was contagious. People who are infected with diseases and who have the potential to pass on infections are known as “carriers”.
After several families (and their domestic staff) were affected she was eventually identified as an asymptomatic carrier after a private investigation was launched. She was subsequently detained under medical authority for a period of three years. She was released under the condition that she no longer cook for people.
Read the complete story at foodinspector.org
