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Revision as of 16:14, 10 April 2007
Typhoid Mary was the name given to Mary Mallon (1869 — 1938), an Irish immigrant who was the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the United States. She apparently contracted typhoid fever at some point but suffered only a mild case, beating back the bacteria enough to appear healthy but still being capable of spreading disease to others. She maintained she was healthy and had never had typhoid fever. Part of the problems Mary had resulted from her vehement denial of the situation. The disease itself was an infectious, often fatal, fever with intestinal inflammation, caused by a bacteria taken into the body with food or drink.
"Typhoid Mary" is a slang term for a carrier of a dangerous disease who is a danger to the public because they refuse to take appropriate precautions or cooperate with the authorities to minimize the risk.
Doctor Leonard McCoy compared Synthococcus novae carried by Doctor Sevrin to the lethal typhoid fever that Mary Mallon carried. (TOS: "The Way to Eden")