TYPHOID MARY: AN INNOCENT KILLER? | Mary Mallon | Sick Without Symptoms | The Killer Cook

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Was TYPHOID MARY, also known as Mary Mallon, an INNOCENT KILLER or a victim of circumstance who was wrongly imprisoned for decades? In today’s History Calling video we’re heading back to the east coast of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century to look at a woman who was sick without symptoms and who, as a result, spread typhoid fever almost everywhere she went. Mary Mallon was reportedly an Irish immigrant and an asymptomatic carrier of salmonella typhi, the illness for which she has become famous. Working as a cook in New York City and the neighbouring states, she spread typhoid germs to those who ate her food and caused outbreak after outbreak over the course of at least 10 years as she moved jobs, even causing the death of the daughter in one of the families she worked for. She was finally hunted down by the epidemiologist and sanitations engineer, George A. Soper in 1907, but the killer cook refused to submit to testing, cease working with food or improve her personal hygiene, instead denying (despite overwhelming evidence), that she was causing any illnesses. Eventually she was forcibly detained after making a mad dash for freedom and her condition was confirmed at Willard Parker Hospital. Her case caused a media sensation and after nearly three years in custody in a cottage on North Brother Island next to the Riverside Hospital, she was released in 1910 on the promise that she would not work as a cook and would report to the health authorities every three months. Instead, she disappeared, changed her name to Maria Breshof (sometimes going under the alias Mrs Brown) and again took work as a cook. Five years later, after causing a major typhoid outbreak of 25 cases at Sloane Hospital for Women in New York, George Soper was called to confirm her identity and she was again detained and imprisoned without trial, this time for life. She was returned to her cottage on North Brother Island where she lived out the rest of her days, even being allowed to make unchaperoned visits to the mainland. The story of typhoid Mary came to an end in November 1938, when she died, aged approximately 69 after 23 years of confinement and having become infamous as a new and unexpected chapter in the history of typhoid fever. She is buried in St Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
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LEARN MORE
Judith Walzer Leavitt, Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public's Health (Beacon Press) amzn.to/3mmp2uW (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3D7nmLM (US LINK)
Letter written by Mary Mallon, with transcript www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/typhoid...
Mary Mallon’s death certificate archive.nytimes.com/www.nytim...
Mary Mallon’s headstone www.findagrave.com/memorial/2...
THUMBNAIL IMAGE: New York American, 20.06.1909, New York Public Library, digital collections
ADDITIONAL CREDITS:
Manhattan Waterfront, Prelinger Archives, public domain (selection only)
Around the World in New York, Prelinger Archives, public domain (selection only)
Other images and video clips not credited within my video are from Pixabay and Unsplash and are in the public domain
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses/

Опубликовано:

26 авг 2021

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Комментарии : 376

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Do you think Mary Mallon deserved to be locked up? Let me know below and check out my PATREON site for extra perks at www.patreon.com/historycalling

@WaiferThyme 2 года назад

Absolutely. She knew exactly what she was doing

@Jaquster 2 года назад

The second for sure. The first time it should have gone through the courts first. Nowadays, knowingly spreading disease can be considered a felony. Today we would probably had a psych evaluation done also.

@WaiferThyme 2 года назад

@@Jaquster exactly

@johnwood6750 2 года назад

A really interesting story and a great topic in present circumstances. I hadn't realised she was from Norn Irn, had always assumed she was from somewhere in the south. Gives new meaning to the Cookstown Sizzle. Did she deserve to be forcibly quarantined? Yes. Rights come with obligations, something anti-vaxxers and anti mask protesters conveniently forget. Their right to do as they please must be balanced against everyone else's right not to be negligently infected with a deadly disease.

@kimbrandon7820 2 года назад

Yes she did deserve to be locked up

@megangreene3955 2 года назад

People didn't understand basic hygiene practices in those days. Child bed fever was passed on from patient to patient by doctors who did not follow basic hygiene procedures. They were, like Mary, indignant and uncooperative when a fellow doctor told them that they were the ones who caused the child bed fever outbreak which claimed so many lives.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I know. Sadly progress can be a slow journey sometimes.

@CarlyleKayla 8 месяцев назад

nah, it became widespread knowledge around the mid 1800’s that handwashing was essential to stopping infections. that’s about 50 something yrs of precedence. the doctors were instructing her of her poor hygiene and she simply refused to listen/change her ways. she’s about equivalent to antivaxxers/covid conspiracy theorists today. it’s willful ignorance.

@handyvan3422 9 дней назад

I see people still use the bathroom and walk right out today, nothing has changed - same usual suspect lol

@MissHeird 2 года назад

She obviously did not give a care for anyone she put in danger by preparing food for them. She wasn't stupid and knew that wherever she went that typhoid outbreaks/deaths occured. She did not bother at all to change her occupation as a cook, and never accepted any responsibity for the deaths of others. She made herself out to be the "victim" when she was being detained. Extreme sociopath she was. Yes, she should have been tried for voluntary manslaughter.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, I think nowadays criminal charges would have been filed as well. Unless she was mentally ill (and I really do wonder if she might have been) her behaviour was appalling, with no viable excuse.

@jennaolbermann7663 2 года назад

I agree! Today the people who willfully ignore the risks of Covid 19 should be held accountable for the spread of the disease.

@JohnLloydScharf 2 года назад

@@jennaolbermann7663 One of the risks is we are likely creating 100s of "Typhoid Mary" carriers of COVID. My mother and her twin sister had typhoid in the 1930s. Keep in mind salmonella is not uncommon today, just like staph, e coli, step, candidiasis, and herps. Have you had a typhoid or rabies shot to be sure you could not catch them?

@PanicMerchant 2 года назад

She was also told it was due to her poor personal hygiene after toileting and clearly she made little effort to rectify that either. You'd think if someone wanted to go back to their previously job, knowing they could possibly kill people by doing so, they'd at least try to mitigate the risks. Either she truly didn't believe she had anything to do with the typhoid that followed her around like a bad smell, or she genuinely didn't care.

@Strawhalo 2 года назад

Jenna read the book. George Orwell 1984. I won't say anymore. New world order is not a joke. And freemasonry runs deep in the medical field. Look how many times pharmaceutical companies had to recall. Also do you know where that word comes from?

@JennyT101 2 года назад

Sadly, I feel that she left them no choice but to detain her. I think that her profession as a cook and the fact that it gave her the opportunity to spread typhoid to so many victims made it necessary. These days I'm sure there are criminal charges that would be brought against someone like this. And the truth is, many peoples constitutional rights have been violated many times.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, I think it would be a crime in many places today as well, to knowingly infect people with such a serious illness. I agree she left them no choice. Had they been able to, they might even have jailed her, but then she'd probably have caused a mass outbreak in any prison she was in.

@stephen7774 2 года назад

Try reading Grain Brain brain drain! lol

@SarahGreen523 2 года назад

Back during the HIV AIDS plague, when our friends were dying right and left, I remember someone being tried for murder for knowingly passing the virus on during sex. Seems to me if you knowingly pass on an incurable disease that kills people, with no regard or respect for another person's life and liberty, then your life and liberty is forfeit.

@EamonnRyan-wn2ut 6 месяцев назад

Just because one doctor said she was a carrier? it was a fairly cutting edge concept at the time. I am sure if she was rich and had a army of lawyers they would have to come up with some other work around

@lfgifu296 5 месяцев назад

⁠⁠@@EamonnRyan-wn2utthat doctor was correct💀 she was tested, and his theory proven to be correct. Furthermore, had she been upper class and with “an army of lawyers”, thus getting away, we would be calling it a failure of justice. That whole situation wouldn’t be possible in any case though, because a wealthy woman would have no need to cook for a living, and it was the cooking that spread the germs. She also had other options such as ironing, but that didn’t pay as well so she went back to cooking, well aware of the dangers to others.

@iainamurray Месяц назад

Same for drunk drivers?

@XxBloggs 2 года назад

You do have a delightfully comforting accent.

@ceaderf 2 года назад

"In 1902 she was in dark harbor meee innn"

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you :-)

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

It's funny that you hear that. To me, I'm only saying 1 syllable, just as an American would do.

@ceaderf 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling The difference is what's endearing.

@ffvvaacc 2 года назад

When I first started listening to your lectures, I kept hearing “he was placed in the tar” and thought only of the black sticky substance. It became clear to me when you used its full name: the Tar of London. Your accent has since grown on me (I’m an American listener) and I now thoroughly enjoy it. More lectures, please!

@maryloumawson6006 Год назад

I'd heard of "Typhoid Mary" since I was a child, but never knew it was an actual person who lived in the 20th century. Thanks for this very thorough account. I think poor Mary was a victim of cognitive dissonance. She herself was not sick, so despite the evidence, she could not accept the blame for what happened to those unfortunate people. In her mind, she was a victim of bad luck. She just wanted to live her life and be left alone, because surely her luck would change, surely this couldn't continue to happen. In other words, I don't think she was reckless, but I do think she was in denial.

@HistoryCalling Год назад

Yes, I think cognitive dissonance is a good way of putting it. Many thanks for watching and commenting :-)

@kiyakia 2 года назад

Oh man this feels so relevant to today!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I know. That was one of the reasons I wanted to do this video actually.

@JohnLloydScharf 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling I have had my vaccines and am 70. Can you prove I am not a "Typhoid Mary" as a carrier without symptoms?

@Rebecca-ri6ep 2 года назад

Yea, except this is WAY deadlier

@jamiemiller7316 11 месяцев назад

She was shown more compassion by the health department and government then she deserved. It was more than she ever showed for the innocent people she made sick and dead. She's lucky she didn't spend the rest of her days in a real prison for manslaughter.

@wellingtonsboots4074 2 года назад

Thank you enjoyed this. It's hard to find any sympathy for her. Given the age, i can appreciate why she didn't want her gall bladder removed, but I think it was right to confine her to the island

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Given her flagrant disregard for the rules after her release in 1910, I can't see what other choice they had at the time either, as she was literally killing people and medical science wasn't advanced enough to heal her yet. Nowadays if you knowingly infect someone with a serious illness, I think it's a crime in many places. I think as prison sentences go though (which is effectively what she got), hers was pretty good, with her own home and all her needs taken care of.

@JohnLloydScharf 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling We still do not know how she was passing the infection with certainty.

@JohnLloydScharf 2 года назад

My gallbladder was infected. The pain was enormous. It was infected and necrotic when I was 64. I had it removed after it died. I was lucky to live. They pumped me with extremely potent antibiotics and I was forced to walk around to keep them pumping throughout my body to survive. I have to wonder why they were not able to kill the salmonella typhoid in her and how it could not have been painful. For me it was like a gunshot wound.

@castlerock58 2 года назад

@@JohnLloydScharf We do. Not washing her hands and handling food. Then people ate the food and got typhoid. It was not because she sneezed on them.

@kayt9576 Год назад

@@HistoryCalling Ignorance isnt a defense.

@westieweardogkilts9715 2 года назад

Wow, she sounds like a real handful though. I had only heard about her, didn't know the actual story. Thank you. I've learned much.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

You're very welcome. Yes, she does seem to have been a nightmare to deal with. She just wouldn't listen to anything that she didn't want to believe was true.

@kongrufus1 2 года назад

Same. I've heard her mentioned occasionally but never heard her full story. Interesting stuff!

@spicencens7725 2 года назад

I have listened to several channels' take on Mary. Although all good, the evidence you've uncovered goes a bit far and beyond other docus. Well done! There comes a time when there are no more coincidences. She had to realize that at some point. Her quarantine sounds justified because she apparently could not be trusted.

@terry92104 2 года назад

Wow, what a disgusting story. Especially the part about cleaning up after a visit to the rest room. If she had been more responsible, she could have avoided so much suffering.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I know. It just shows the importance of even basic cleanliness.

@annfisher3316 2 года назад

Thank you for your well researched and interesting dive into Mary and her hullabaloo of a life. I once felt bad for her imposed isolation, however she did flaunt safety regulations. "Jesus mercy," she was a handful! 😷

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

You're welcome. Yes, I feel sorry for her in many ways too, but I think she brought a lot of her problems (particularly the 2nd isolation on the island) on herself. She apparently had a rotten temper too (not just towards Soper). I couldn't fit everything I read about her in unfortunately.

@Oscarhobbit 2 года назад

Wow, another amazing video. In a time before a welfare system I can understand why Mary might hide her heath condition to stay in employment. As an "Irish Bridget" she would have had few chances for advancement. l studied medical history at university for two years and focused mainly on Victorian death practices. I find medical history during the long C19 very interesting . Keep them coming. You may be intested by a podcast by Dr Leanne McCormick called "Bad Bridget". This podcast deals with the story of Irish women who emigrnitd to America and fell foul of the law.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you. Yes, I can see some financial reasons for Mary to hide/deny her condition at first too, but after 1907 when there was absolutely no doubt she was killing people, my sympathy for her really fades. I'm familiar with the Bad Bridget project, but haven't listened to the podcast yet, so I'll certainly check it out. :-)

@indianagrandmary1298 2 года назад

Since Mary probably felt well, she didn’t think it was coming from her. Her quarantine seemed like a pretty good deal.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, I think they had limited options. Even a prison (after 1915 when it was clear that she had knowingly risked the lives of others) would have been a bad idea I think, as she'd likely have caused an outbreak there.

@katiewray2525 2 года назад

If she would have just washed her hands before preparing food, none of this would have probably happened. It sounds like she likely took glee in purposefully and knowingly killing people by making sure she was puttin her poo in the food... like giving her a power trip. She must have known what she was doing!!! I doubt she was as stupid as she was letting on. Her bad attitude suggests this as well.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, I wonder what she was thinking as well. Perhaps this is why she didn't want her history traced. Maybe she knew there were many other outbreaks that would be linked to her and people wouldn't believe her story that she had no idea something was wrong, even though typhoid followed her everywhere and she never got sick. The thing is, if she'd just stayed in one place, I don't know that she would have been found. If she'd infected one family, who survived and all became immune, she couldn't have kept re-infecting them and there would have been no trail to follow. Maybe that never occurred to her though, or maybe like you say, she liked what she was doing. It would help explain the decision to go work in a hospital of all places in 1914/15.

@BTScriviner 2 года назад

Today, Mary would fit right in with the COVID deniers.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I thought the same, but RU-vid apparently doesn't like people to mention the current 'situation' (probably to prevent false info. being spread) so I studiously avoided making any comparisons in the video. Apparently when she ran in 1915 though, they picked her up in a place called Corona of all things! I soooo wanted to include that detail, but I didn't dare say that word in the video :-)

@mariopizzamanmario8563 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling Mind that the vaccine makes people less (or completely) inable to get sick, but they can still spread the virus. Meaning the injection is creating many more Typhoid Marys... just saying.

@Strawhalo 2 года назад

BL200. RU-vid a video called Cade X Pandemic Exercise.

@Strawhalo 2 года назад

Clade X Pandemic Exercise. RU-vid it. RU-vid event 201. Then agenda 21. The Georgia guidestones. Freemasonry.

@historybuff7491 2 года назад

One thing that is not taken into consideration is her faith. Catholic -- Irish Catholic. If she was the reason for these people's illness (and sometimes) deaths, than she is to blame in the eyes of God. She may have even thought these medical people were accusing her of murder. That is not an easy stain to remove from one's soul. Why she continued to infect others even after it was clear she was a carrier is probably a kind of stubbornness. If she admitted it, and changed her ways, than she was admitting she was guilty of killing and causing sickness to all those people. As to others that were carriers of disease. Did they cooperate and change their ways to try and prevent transmission?

@katjack2780 2 года назад

This sounds to me like a reasonable explanation for her behavior.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I'm not sure about all the others unfortunately. I would imagine some changed their behaviour, either of out common sense, or having seen what happened to Mary. The religious idea is a fascinating one. Perhaps it did play a part in her reaction. She was certainly said to be very religious in later life.

@JellyFilledEmpanada 2 года назад

Religious people of all kinds sometimes try to fool their creator or find loopholes so that they can live a more convenient life. Imo it would make sense to have played atleast a part.

@castlerock58 2 года назад

She wasn't innocent. She acted with reckless disregard for the lives of others. She may have killed people after she knew she was putting them at risk. She could have been a sociopath. She needed to be locked up. If she cared about the lives of others, they could have given her a job with the city so she would have had a living that did not depend on being a cook. It was her handling food that made her a danger to others. It is amazing that the health department was so willing to accommodate her given the class and ethnic prejudice of the time. They could have prosecuted her for the deaths after she took off but they didn't. Her condition was a tragedy but she is infamous for how she dealt with it by willingly making other people sick and killing a couple.

@SurferJoe1 2 года назад

What an amazing story. Can't believe I had never really heard the details of something this extraordinary. Thanks for your excellent work on this. Her intelligence, very evident in her letter, is even more striking in contrast to her belligerence. This story needs to come to the big screen. It obviously speaks to us right now, and not just in terms of the pandemic- it evokes our ongoing war on objective reality.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, it would make an interesting movie, wouldn't it?

@SurferJoe1 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling As I think about it, though, a lot of good actresses might hesitate over that role!

@jo-deesutton3954 Год назад

I'm from the UK and my father was a small pox carrier and whenever there was a smallpox scare he would be formed into a isolation hospital. He had no choice.

@caipirinha1769 2 года назад

Imagine you are alive at a time when medicine was primitive, doctors practised dodgy treatments/procedures, and women treated as second class citizens especially if considered 'difficult' or 'hysterical'. You're not ill yourself and the idea that you could carry a disease is completely unheard of - why should this apply to you and no-one else, especially over such a long period? You've not been given the sort of education that would allow you to understand the technical details so you have to trust the word of a strange man who is demanding you submit to humiliating testing and enforced surgery that could kill you. You don't trust them. Then they send a mob after you and isolate you. Add to this you're living in a country you weren't born in, so you've probably been subject to discrimination too, without your support network, so you might think they're out to get you by any means. In the meantime you need to earn money and you only know how to do one job, you don't actually know what else you might (safely) be able to do. For me this is an example of what happens when people fail to place a problem in context and deal with the wider picture as well as the immediate issue.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, I agree that she could have been dealt with better, particularly with regards to training her to do something else before her 1910 release so that she wouldn't be tempted to return to cooking. A pension to give her financial stability would have been an alternative as well.

@JellyFilledEmpanada 2 года назад

Was the testing "humiliating"? it's not like they need to watch her while shes providing the "testing material". I also doubt they would have sent a mob after her since they knew she was infected. I understand the feelings of isolation and warranted paranoia someone in her position could feel but that is 100% outweighed by the fact that she is responsible for the deaths of many "innocent" people including children regardless of how malicious/purposeful it was.

@ffvvaacc 2 года назад

I agree, in the mindset of the time, she was a proud and stubborn hard-working Irish lass who wasn’t about to take orders from anyone in authority. She was a good cook and did her job well enough to always find work. She reinvented herself constantly, as was and still is the fashion of New Yorkers. Whatever happened in her wake was “their” problem, not hers. Did she have a halo over her head? No. But her actions were thoroughly understandable. Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time, her actions and mindset were completely understandable. She had no family and only herself for financial income. Survival ain’t easy when there are little to no social safety nets, so while people nowadays see her as reprehensible, I understand her frame of mind. Again, is it good? No. But I do understand it. I was born and raised in NYC and Mary sounds like a quite typical hardheaded and hard working Irish girl to me. Her actions are not surprising to me. Again, from today’s vantage point, we might be tempted to scoff at her, but I’m not sure I would have gone under the knife for anyone in the early 1900s either.

@soulcstudios 2 года назад

Being a cook was also the best job a woman could get when it comes to house hold servants. Too many people don't know this. She was also Irish, a group which was not considered to be white during this time period. I do not fault her at all for her actions. I can not imagine how terrifying it must have been for her.

@spiralrose 2 года назад

ES. She could’ve made money taking in laundry, but it didn’t pay as much as cooking. She and only she, is responsible for the choices she made with the unhappy hand she was dealt

@erikkanelson3603 2 года назад

I’m wondering why so many of the household laundresses contracted the disease. Was it because they were handling the dirty clothes in the home and it increased the risk of exposure?

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

That was my thought too. Quite gross when you think about it :-( Poor laundresses.

@beretta92x93 2 года назад

Just amazing how your facts are so different from American versions of her plight. My view of her has changed so much because of your fact only explanation. Keep up the great work and best of luck in your future video documentaries. Look forward to more amazing content.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you so much. I'm not above making mistakes of course, but I try my best to get a hold of the primary sources and stick to them. Soper's articles are very good for tracking her story, though of course we do have to take a lot of what he says on faith (particularly regarding her previous employment) but he's the best we've got and had little reason to lie.

@mzprettywings 2 года назад

I absolutely love this channel!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Wow, thank you! :-)

@WaiferThyme 2 года назад

I so enjoy your channel!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you so much! :-)

@kristimoore8763 2 года назад

Thank you for sharing this story!! My Nana had shared the story with me when I was a girl. I had forgotten all about it! While my Nana always said History was a weak subject in school (she didn't remember dates well), she did remember stories of people very well.

@stephencarrillo5905 2 года назад

Another fascinating video rich in detail. Thank you and keep them coming, please. And yes, the distinctive cadence of your voice adds so much to the material.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you! Will do :-)

@ardiffley-zipkin9539 Год назад

Great video. Well documented and presented. I am familiar with this story but you presented it in greater depth for your viewers. Thank you!

@tarbhnathrac Год назад

I was stunned the doctor couldn't figure out her motivation for returning to being a cook. Was not sociopathology a diagnosis at the time? She was obviously a sociopath.

@nickyphoenix2470 2 года назад

I love hearing about Tudor history and you tell the stories so well.

@kentanderson9432 2 года назад

Outstanding work. A fascinating story of a public health crisis and a look at cultural values in the early 20th Century. Interesting that this was a few years before the flu pandemic. One wonders if it could have been handled differently after that experience. Thanks for sharing. I only recently discovered your channel, and have been thoroughly enjoying it. Thought your voice sounded Northern Irish, but wasn't 100% certain!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thanks Kent. I hadn't thought of comparisons to the flu pandemic, but yes, I wonder if attitudes to Mary would have been different after that. Yes, Northern Irish indeed, though I soften the accent out a little bit for RU-vid, which is maybe why you weren't sure at first. It's stronger in 'real' life.

@4itGrow 2 года назад

Throughly enjoyed this!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you :-)

@itakelly8150 2 года назад

Fantastic video, as always!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you :-)

@robertdudley4017 2 года назад

History calling, you have certainly found a gem of a case, and told in the style that only you can do,

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you :-)

@robertdudley4017 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling thank you, history calling, its a plesure for me to listen and learn history, from you.

@g.holland4862 2 года назад

I love your accent. I "watch" your videos, not just because they are interesting, but because I enjoy hearing you speak. It's very pleasing to my ears. As for the content of this video. It was very interesting and you introduced me to information about Mary that I'd never heard. Her clinical name was usually just used as a punchline. With little knowledge as to why it was used outside her going around infecting people. No one ever discussed how she did it or if she knew what she was doing. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, thoughts, and most of all. That lovely voice.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you so much. I'm delighted you enjoy the videos (and indeed my voice/accent :-) )

@timward3116 2 года назад

What a wonderful and thorough documentary! I especially liked your educated guess that Mary suspected that she was the cause and all of the research into her identity that you did! Thank you so much! I am unfamiliar with your channel, but I will no doubt find and watch other History Calling programs. As a citizen of both the Republic and the US (having been born here but registered as a foreign birth) it would be great to see other programs about famous/infamous Irish-Irish and Irish-Americans who, for reasons good and bad, made a name for themselves in the U.S. Again, thank you for this great explanation!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thanks Tim. I'm glad you enjoyed it :-)

@caramia4143 2 года назад

You popped up in my Recommendations and I've watched 90% of your videos over the past few days. Your voice is so soothing. Even you saying "feces" repeatedly is heavenly lol

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Haha, thank you. I'm going to tell my family and friends that one. You made me laugh. :-) I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. Welcome to the channel.

@cindybecerra1965 2 года назад

I've always heard the name typhoid Mary. I never knew this was in fact a real person. Thank You this was a Very educational story. I loved it I just discovered your channel. I will be binge watching. Please keep them coming. Sending you many Blessings from Denver Colorado -Cindy

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

You are so welcome :-)

@darrylrutledge7506 2 года назад

The fact that in 2020 People still needed to be told to wash their hands is shocking.

@FandersonUfo 2 года назад

rather surprizing how lenient the authorities were towards her back then - no precedents on record so they did not know what to do with her perhaps - weirdly fun story - ty

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, she was the first to be discovered of what turned out to be a fairly significant number of people and I think some underestimated how pig headed she'd be about the situation and thought she could be released and trusted. Nowadays, I think she'd be charged with manslaughter for the post-1907 deaths, when she knew what she was doing.

@FandersonUfo 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling - tough Irish girl apparently - it took 5 NY cops to arrest her - lol

@ellenbryn Год назад

Wonderful discussion of an ordinary yet complicated person who evokes both sympathy and condemnation. As you say, prejudice against the Irish, poor women and immigrants may have contributed to her initial "imprisonment." And she was certainly right to be skeptical of nonconsensual surgery. Yet I'm impressed at the level of personal support and attention health officials gave her, and how well she was maintained for the rest of her life by the state. I'm afraid the U.S. is no longer so generous to the underprivileged. Nowadays, libertarianism, anti-socialism (childishly conflated with anti-communism), and individualism have melded into a Scroogelike philosophy that's become entrenched in a large part of the US population. Many oppose using taxpayer dollars for welfare or social programs, on the principle that people are supposed to take care of themselves, not each other. At the same time, they'd come down on Mary's side as far as her right to be contagious. They oppose health measures and vaccine mandates. They oppose mask requirements. And they believe an individual's right to spread a deadly disease is more important than other people's right to move safely in public spaces. Not that they put it in those terms, any more than she did. Mary doesn't sound like such an outlier now that we hear people every day denying death counts and the severity of the worst epidemic since 1918 in order to justify "getting back to normal." I wonder how many of Mary's victims struggled with typhoid for the rest of their lives, with less medical care than she had. Thanks to the vaccine, covid didn't kill me when I finally ventured out of self-isolation for one trip and caught it from the couple in the next sleeper compartment coughing for the three days from Los Angeles to Chicago. As health experts warned, covid activated and aggravated a congenital illness which I previously had under control. Now I've spent thousands of dollars on medical treatments, I've lost sight in one eye, and it's severely impacted my quality of life. I keep hearing people dismiss covid deaths of those with underlying health conditions, as if anyone with arthritis or asthma or high blood pressure was at death's door anyway. And of course, plenty of perfectly young and/or healthy people are still dying of covid too, infected by strangers. Necessity and convenience make truth malleable. People need to work, and precautions of any kind are inconvenient. A century after Mary altered facts to suit her lifestyle and ran from the truth, people say covid is over. It's easier than trying to figure out how to minimize spread while having a functional society. But in the US, all the talk is of personal liberty, not personal responsibility. I'm guessing common sense is more common in Ireland and Europe, and in many other places around the world. Even so, I think the world's uneven response to covid has not been all that much more mature than Typhoid Mary's. There's still an awful lot of emphasis getting back to work, and ignoring all the lessons learned in the past century since 1918. On the other hand, fingers still get pointed at "foreigners." Plus ca change.

@Atm0111 2 года назад

Love this topic! Im embarrassed to admit that even tho im from the states, i didnt learn abt Mary until a few yrs ago. Dont remember it being taught in school. I randomly came upon a docu a was blown away. Im frustrated she didnt listen or believe she was a carrier, she needed to be separated and im grateful we now know these things. Awesome vid, ty!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thanks Anna. I didn't know much about her either. I remember hearing a quick reference to her in a Mission Impossible movie of all things (no. 2 I think) many years ago and that was what made me look her up initially. I had no idea until recently though that she was supposedly from my neck of the woods.

@Atm0111 2 года назад

@@HistoryCallingI'll have to watch that movie now lol i only heard of her bc yt recommended it to me bc i love watching vids abt history at night as i try to fall asleep. I thought oh thats where the phrase dont be a typhoid mary came from 😆💜

@beastieber5028 Год назад

Ilove watching all of your video history calling from Bea

@johnpeter4184 2 года назад

She knew of her typhoid. She did stay on the move job wise. My guess. Mary had been subject to severe abuse in her youth and frankly did not give a damn about others. She would never discuss her past is a screaming clue. "If your mama and papa don't love you who will love you?" Yes she did deserve to be locked up. There were signs in NYC that stated.. Help needed, Irish need not apply. Prior to Mary's run as super spreader there were race riots between the Irish and Blacks in NYC over employment.. Off topic.. The gallbladder is an important organ worth a search. Feces? Covid virus will be rich in it. Sewage samples of campus housing can trace origins of outbreaks. Teacher your accent is fine, reminds me of grade school nuns. 😀

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

It would fascinating to know where she came from. I can't decide if she lied and covered up her past to protect herself, her family, or just to be awkward. I suspect she knew other typhoid outbreaks would be discovered, or perhaps she'd even committed another crime. Who knows. Abuse doesn't seem out of the question either. Um, I can only hope grade school nuns are nice?!

@johnpeter4184 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling My Catholic grade school experience was filled with loving kind nuns. Sister Thomas More was my favorote. She did tell us of her name sake in detail. Like her your voice is warm kind strong. Father Andrew Tisu escaped Mao"s purge and was the holiest man I've ever known. I stopped being a practicing Catholic at 15 as I learned of its issues with abuse.

@katjack2780 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling Now that is a loaded question:) I had a nun called Sister Estevana in grade school, who it turned out also had taught my mother. She was a small, round woman who was pleasant most of the time but had a short fuse. She would get very upset if it appeared that some of us weren't understanding something quickly enough. I swear, she then would hop up and down and twirl around down the aisle, all the while calling us "you goms." We had no idea what a "gom" was but we caught the gist of it. I only discovered many years later that it is Irish for a stupid person or an idiot:)

@indigosue3070 10 месяцев назад

Very well done.

@Heothbremel 2 года назад

Well this feels highly pertinent. Cheers!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you. I thought so too :-)

@navileblond9981 Год назад

Very interesting story! I had heard the name time and time again as we do with so many things, but don't often know the actual facts about it, I can say now I do, she must've been some headstrong, uncaring woman for sure, to know she was infecting others and being the reason of 3 deaths how did she manage to sleep at night, wow. Thank you for another interesting video.

@stephencarrillo5905 2 года назад

I shared this video with my sister and recommended your series (she loves history). She responded "Yikes!" as she was unaware (as I was) of Mary's Irish origins. Our mother's maiden name was Downey and her father emigrated from County Cork; it was an experience he never liked talking about.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Hi Stephen, thanks for sharing the video with your sister. Perhaps your grandfather had an unpleasant experience on the transport ship, or left an unpleasant situation in Cork. You can certainly try to look up his details (if you haven't already) on the free Irish genealogy sites. The civil records on Irish Genealogy dot ie (I can't write it out properly to keep RU-vid happy) would be the one I'd recommend.

@stephencarrillo5905 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling Thanks much! Looking forward to the next video!

@pillardelaney4726 2 года назад

Just becouse she was Irish, don't mind anything, she could comefrom the moon. My adopted country is IRLAND, my husband of 56 years is Irish, I do take umbrage to the unfair use of religion and nacionality.

@stephanieking4444 2 года назад

Interesting story. I used to think that 'Typhoid Mary' was some urban legend, made out of stories of several women immigrating to the USA at the end of the 19th century. But she was one real person, and a very intriguing one too. Thank you for presenting facts an always ending your videos with questions that are still on your mind, that's real historian's work, as opposed to making sources fit within one's idea.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thanks Stephanie :-) I'm glad you liked the video.

@skarkin 2 года назад

I love your content and your videos, they are extremely well researched from what I can tell. I’m so happy I found your channel, and get excited when I see new videos from you. I find the topics you choose very interesting, I learn a lot from them. However, I think they would be better, and more appealing to a wider audience if you worked a little bit on the sound quality and the editing style (for example I felt the stock footage of "happy birthday" was a bit out of place). I know it’s easier said than done, and it takes time to learn, I mean no disrespect and only say this, because I want you to thrive.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Hi Skarkin. Thank you for watching and commenting and I appreciate your feedback. As you say, it is indeed (unfortunately) not that easy to dramatically improve the editing without investing a lot of money in paying for different stock footage, software and hardware (which I'd then need to spend time learning how to use). I did in fact buy a new microphone just a few weeks ago (this is only my 3rd video with it), but I'm not prepared at this stage, when the channel is still so young and I don't know how much money I can make from it, to dramatically upgrade everything else as I could literally end up spending hundreds per month on these items. I hope you are nevertheless able to continue to enjoy the content.

@cindystarling7401 2 года назад

Fascinating and interesting and intriguing

@OboeCanAm 2 года назад

Thank you for a very informative video! I didn't know that she was a real person. I had assumed that "Typhoid Mary" was a 19th cen. pseudonym given to anyone who was spreading an infectious disease.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I used to think that too actually. :-)

@vickit7149 2 года назад

Thanks!

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Again (as I see you've been lovely enough to donate twice on different videos), THANK YOU so much for your very generous support.

@vickit7149 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling you’re videos are amazing, I love hearing “history calling”, I encourage everyone to support your channel if they can.

@nathanfisher1826 2 года назад

Very good

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thanks Nathan :-)

@ProwlingTiger1 2 года назад

I am quite suprised that they never did an autopsy, I would of thought for sure they would of, that they would of wanted to do more investigation and study in to the matter.

@kathywallace940 2 месяца назад

Just want to say that I love the narrator’s accent!

@jemase7931 2 года назад

Mary probably never really believed she was the cause. How many people do you know who simply refuse to believe things they don't want to believe?

@od1452 2 года назад

I missed you this week so I'm glad I found a missed episode. ( You do deserve a break..) This reminds me of our mask issues in the U.S. Can a Government allow a person to infect or possibly infect its other citizens because of personal freedom.? People are hypocrites when it comes to things that affect them. I personally know friends that died from Covid. They wouldn't get their shots. Maybe it wouldn't have helped them.. but everyone I know that did , lived when they contracted covid. It reminds me of the attitudes we would get when pulling Security duty in the Army. People were insulted that I we would " imagine " that THEY could not be authorized entry... and they were the first to whine about lack security if we didn't. This particularly pissed me off with senior EM and Officers...who should know better. I found them to be the worse security violators.. I confess Mary's attitude reminds me of the stubborn behavior I have seen in people with Thyroid problems ... they can seem so unreasonably obtuse .

@ozlodger 2 года назад

Interesting story. I wonder why she never maintained the hygiene protocols that the doctors recommended when she was finally diagnosed as a carrier? Maybe the link between disease & hygiene wasn't as clear-cut and universally accepted back then? As an aside, when I looked at the Death Certificates you linked to, right below Mary's was one for Lou Gehrig, the baseballer.

@gwendolynmurray8201 Год назад

Stop trying to justify the clear evidenced! She was nasty and violent! Always trying to justify PC filthiness!!!

@AnnaAnna-uc2ff Год назад

Thanks.

@HistoryCalling Год назад

You're very welcome :-)

@sirmintyclack Год назад

My opinion(s): [1] As a woman, what career options did she really have? I am sure she was extremely limited in her options of alternative jobs that could support her. It is very easy for white males with all of the privilege during this time to tell her to never be a cook ever again. I wonder of these white male doctors ever tried being an Irish woman and 'just changing careers'. [2] I agree that Mary Mallon needed to have some limitations placed on her in order to reduce/control the spread of typhoid. I also agree that Mary had some personal responsibility to uphold some limitations to reduce/control the spread of typhoid. Ultimately, Mary's behavior did necessitate being put on the island again. [3] I propose something to ponder. If we as society allow the government the power and ability to take away one person's rights and liberties we open Pandora's box of government persecution and abuse of that power on others. Once we as a society give away our liberties and rights to the government in the form of power over society, the government rarely gives society back the lost liberties and rights. Thank you for a well done video presenting the facts about Mary Mallon. I appreciate how you present information in a manner as unbiased as possible. 😸

@robertdudley4017 2 года назад

As for Mary mallon, she was a very stubborn feisty woman,she didn't think she was the cause of typhoid,I think they could of treated her a little better than they did, I'd like to think she realised in the end she was the cause,

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I'm not sure she ever realised, or at least admitted it, but Soper did think that she'd mellowed by the time of the 2nd isolation and knew there was no fighting it. Maybe causing a mass outbreak in a maternity hospital finally got through to her.

@will2Collett 2 года назад

You can be educated and ignorant. She seems to have had a mental illness. Sad for the people she affected. She was locked up. Nowadays, people are isolated in much worse conditions. Mary Mallon was luckier than most people.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

She was lucky in many ways. I think she had a comfortable life compared to a lot of people (prisoners of otherwise) and if she had less freedom after 1915 than she wanted, she was largely to blame for having breached the terms of her release to such devastating effect.

@luannnelson2825 2 года назад

This illustrates the importance of education in basic science but I believe this woman exhibited sociopathic behavior. The major issue here is likely that she had no other way of supporting herself in comfort. Seriously, it sounds like all she would have had to do is to wash her hands adequately.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I don't know enough about sociopathy to comment on that, but she was certainly stubborn to an unbelievable degree (to me at least) and yes, you're correct that thorough hand washing after using the bathroom would have greatly decreased the chances of her passing this on.

@stephaniehowe0973 2 года назад

She had been told repeatedly. Even if she didnt understand the facts obviously displayed. She knew well enough to keep moving w/o changing anything she had been doing hygiene wise

@michellemorrison9663 2 года назад

Her past is not too important. She most likely was victim of abuse and she was ashamed of it, those times they did not talk about it and they were hella private. She might’ve not know about the disease but once she knew, the approach and harassment from authorities, doctors and the mistreatment during her isolation made her become even more rebellious and scared towards the procedure and wether if they were lying or not. Running away so much is just common when someone feels harassed wether if they are a threat or not. Yes she was a threat and yes she was a handful according to some people in the comments, but the approach wasn’t the best. And I believe it was probably worst considering the era this happen on.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, as she was the first silent carrier of typhoid discovered, I don't think anyone knew how best to handle the situation. Her wider family would be interesting to me, just to know if they had the same issue and were silent carriers themselves.

@michellemorrison9663 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling No, it wasn’t handle right, it was human to refuse going back to where she was mistreated. The family… could be true, but then, there would’ve been more unexplained cases of typhoid (believing that her wider family could’ve had the same condition). A lot of the times these cases skip generations in their genes too so, given the time… It would’ve still been hard to track any other family member that could’ve had it.

@johnny196775 2 года назад

Given her behavior, and the fact that she was clearly estranged from her family, I would suggest that she most likely had what today would be called "oppositional-defiant" disorder as a child and it was never addressed. That, along with not being raised specifically to accept science over religion or 'common sense' her behavior is quite understandable. They could possibly have gotten what they wanted if they had negotiated with her in such a way that she felt in control the entire time; but nobody is going to accommodate mental illness to such an extent, I know. It is just that if they would, she could have been free while not presenting a danger, and everyone would have been happier and healthier.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I wish there had been another way of handling it too which would have allowed her her freedom. It's a shame she wasn't trained during the first isolation in how to make money in another way, so that cooking wouldn't have been her best source of income. A lack of education in science was clearly a problem too, but then there wouldn't have been any such education available in Ireland during her youth to girls of her social class, so she was never going to have that advantage.

@EmilyGloeggler7984 2 года назад

You do realize that 'oppositional defiant disorder" has since been proven false as has much of the invented pseudodisorders listed in the DSM. Please refer to the medical evidence, documentaries, victims, etc which expose the psychology and psychiatry industries, including Psych Victims for more information.

@johnny196775 2 года назад

@@EmilyGloeggler7984 I am sorry, but I don't have time for you. You are muted.

@westieweardogkilts9715 2 года назад

@ChrisGirard The did negotiate later but she defied and broke the agreement. Sounds like she stubbornly chose her path anyway.

@johnny196775 2 года назад

@@westieweardogkilts9715 I am sorry, I don't know how I was unclear. I meant that she needed to be approached differently as part of the negotiation. If they wanted her cooperation, they needed to allow her to feel in control from the start and never take that sense of control from her... It wasn't a stubborn choice, I feel quite sure, but a product of mental illness, which is neither a choice nor a moral failing.

@frankiebluej6902 3 месяца назад

This is 2024, people still won't wash their hands after using toilet. How often do you see people walk out of stalls and leave instead of washing their hands?

@alimccreery755 2 года назад

I had no idea that there was a story to that name because when ever a family friend came over by the name of Ursula, my grandfather would always say “oh no here comes Typhoid Mary”. I thought it was funny because of the way he said it. Ursula seemed like a nice lady from what I saw. 😁

@janiscrammond7046 2 года назад

Today we understand that people can carry diease without symptoms themselves. In those days certain people wanted their body whole when they pass on. Saying that I believe she knew she was the problem snd didn't care about others

@amydearing9866 2 года назад

How, in the early 20th century, could they find her with no SSN or Driver's license, in the Metropolitan New York area?

@MissHeird 2 года назад

Because when typhoid would break out and start killing others, those looking for her would go to these areas figuring she was there.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Soper used the records from the employment agency she'd used to find work, then as Miss Heird mentioned as well, he followed the outbreaks too, most notably the one in the Sloane hospital.

@maryinsentani6801 2 года назад

Driver's Licenses were first issued in New York in 1918. I would be surprised if Mary Mallon was ever a driver. Further, Social Security Numbers were first issued in November 1936, so again, these ubiquitous numbers of today would not at all be part of Mary Mallon's life.

@Swellington_ 2 года назад

Well, she couldn't be allowed to keep infecting people and no way in Hades be allowed to cook and handle food but she deserved a life and it wasn't her fault that she was sick,so "isolating" her was the only option I suppose, at that particular time anyway, but that's a rather unfortunate and sad story, now that I thought about it I imagine she didn't have potential husbands lining up for their chance to woo her off her feet, and would always be alone, damn, that's really sad , great video 👍

@worldgonemad1977 2 года назад

If Mary knew she was a carrier then she should have surrendered herself for quarantine and treatment. But she didn’t so it was right that she was arrested. I lived in Aberdeen during the Typhoid outbreak of 1964. It was found to originate from a tin of Argentinian corned beef. We were a big family and my Mother was terrified that it would come in to our house. Nothing uncooked was eaten. All cracked dishes had to be thrown out - by order of the Minister of Health. Any wind musical instrument, ie flute, recorder, mouth organ etc had to be disposed of and everything that could possibly carry the disease was thrown out or burned. Houses were rigorously cleaned and all our hands were red raw with the continuous washing with carbolic soap - the 60’s version of hand sanitiser. All public lavatories and rest rooms were made free to enter to encourage people to wash their hands all the time.About 500 people of all ages were quarantined in hospital with relatives ‘visiting’ by waving at the children through the windows. But thanks to the immediate action by the Health Board not a single person died. It was scary for me because I was a child but nothing in comparison with Covid.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Oh wow. I wasn't aware of that outbreak, but it sounds awful. I'm glad to hear no one died though.

@linlouwho123 5 месяцев назад

This is a tough one knowing about some of today’s diseases. I’m inclined to keep her confined hopefully with the very best care and for the shortest amount of time absolutely necessary. We all know how those misguided sentiments have gone. Of course, I’ve also watched the poor wretched who live on the street who in the past would have been cared for in a hospital by their family. Now they live starving and dying of drug addiction.

@ceaderf 2 года назад

It was fun to see this after watching her betrayal in The Knick, they did an okish job. What I assumed from the story passed from my grandparents was that she was treated horribly but that seems not to be the case at all. It looks like she deserved and got the right amount of blame in the end. She has also become immortal in a way, in that she became a national moral object lesson. Not too bad.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I haven't seen that show (had to go Google it before replying to you), but it looks good. I'll put it on my 'to watch' list. Thank you :-)

@59tante 2 года назад

Interesting story

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you :-)

@lucyh4355 Год назад

You could put her actions prior to being taken into isolation & studied down to fear/ignorance/superstition. All reasonable in the times to a degree. Afterwards though...it sounds just like a description of a serial killer who courts the fame once they've had a taste. She's also THE example of why health & safety regulations are not a waste of time & money.

@rhondacrosswhite8048 2 года назад

Did Soper or anyone else investigate why laundresses were especially succeptible to typhoid? Poverty and poor nutrition? Extra warmth and humidity from the laundry? Breathing caustic cleaning products?

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I wondered that too. I have a theory (and that's all it is, which is why I didn't mention it in the video) that it might have had something to do with the fact that they were handwashing her clothes, especially her undergarments, which would have been covered in typhoid germs.

@Jaquster 2 года назад

Or maybe they shared the same room toilet etc. door knobs etc

@AntelJM 2 года назад

They’d be in a warm, wet environment handling soiled bedding and towels/washcloths and due to the heat wiping their faces with their arm, no chance of escaping infection.

@av4l4rion Год назад

I wouldn't call her an innocent victim, but I don't think that she understood how deadly she was. In that time, Sicknesses like typhoid were omnipresent and not even the medicines knew much about bacteria and stuff. So why should a poor immigrate? I understand, that she felt treated unfairly. Also she was a single woman, she had no chance but to work for her income and cooking was something she was obviously good at and where she had preferences.

@LusiaEyre 5 месяцев назад

There are 3 options: 1. She believed that she was at fault but chose violent denial because being a cook was all she knew to do for a living and was too set in her ways to try and mitigate the danger. Sometimes, it is easier to live in denial than face being wrong or possibly causing someone's death. 2. She didn't care what the truth was, and just wanted to keep going living her life. Maybe she didn't really care if any of those strangers get sick and die? I don't think she made typhoid her murder weapon deliberately, but maybe she didn't feel connected to the people enough to disrupt her life? 3. She was the "enlightened" one calling out government organisations medical professionals for causing distress to her - a good, hardworking woman - making her a scapegoat with some medical hocus pocus.

@laurapomeroy7341 2 года назад

she had no rites after she continued to cook for others and denied having her gallbladder removed. even if it might kill me i would have surgery to save others lives.

@mwills24 9 месяцев назад

While I agree with you that anyone that would willingly pass on a deadly disease should by tried with murder, I don’t believe it applies here. The doctor told her that she was infecting people with a disease she didn’t know she had. This woman was so uneducated that she didn’t even understand the need of washing her hands when cooking after using the bathroom. The doctor told her she had it, but she was certain he was wrong, as it sounded the same as being accused of witchcraft. While she should have put the pieces together, in her mind, the elderly people were healthy still, and only some people got sick. It’s a tragic case where she was a legitimate danger to society, didn’t understand how, and was too stubborn to believe the doctors without evidence. Also, there are many sources that say the doctors told her she was a carrier, but never explained what that meant, explained the hygiene they tried to enforce on her, or how she passing on this desease.

@kartos. 2 года назад

The law does allow for protection of the common good. She murdered many people due to her own negligence, so there's no reason for them to let her roam.

@mandyliz84 8 месяцев назад

As a psychologist, I would suggest another possibility besides knowledge and willfully disobeying the authorities. While we can’t know for sure, she fits the profile of people I have worked with who were severely traumatized by a medical experience (particularly the perception that they were wrongfully held captive by medical professionals). These individuals can become paranoid about any medical care assuming persecution and maltreatment regardless of the science being told to them. As an Irish woman in this era, she had a fairly good basis for paranoia even before her arrest and her behavior makes a lot of sense in that context.

@HistoryCalling 8 месяцев назад

That's such an interesting theory and you may be right. Thank you for sharing :-)

@gillsinclair6927 7 месяцев назад

Even with the recent COVID outbreak, many people can be positive and, yet, asymptomatic. Its not to do with immunology, its to do with the way we help ourselves and our personal hygiene. We have the responsibility for not only ourselves, but those around us. Those who have refused to be vaccinated are putting others at risk. As a former nurse I wholly believe in barrier care. Fortunately for us, now we understand the importance of washing our hands after toilet or before and during food preparation

@robertvance01 2 года назад

I'm amazed that the letter she claimed to have written was completed by someone who did not have an exceptional education.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Yes, it was quite well put together and the handwriting was good too for someone who probably had so schooling after the age of 14. She was well read though, according to Soper.

@wlenore8071 2 года назад

I feel like she deserves what she got… She obviously didn’t care and the fact that she prepared food for people and didn’t wash her hands after she went to the bathroom show that she just didn’t care about other people… She obviously knew she was a carrier and even after she was blatantly told she was still defiant to follow the rules. She definitely got off easy if you ask me. Think about how many people died because of her negligence.

@castleanthrax1833 2 года назад

After seeing this video, I doubt I'll eat uncooked food prepared by someone else without wondering...........

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Haha, yes it does make you think about what's going on in restaurant kitchens doesn't it?!

@brianmallon1810 2 года назад

I would trust the info she gave herself. Mallons are all around Cookstown. Most people at that time could not believe that you could pass on a disease that you didn't have yourself.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

I know it's a popular enough name, but state birth certificates came in in 1864 and there's nothing for her, or any other children born to parents of those names, or any marriage between parents of those names. If she was telling the truth, then my best guess is that she was born before 1864 and had no siblings born in that year or later.

@brianmallon1810 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling Fair enough, but I found a birth cert with those names, and I was very curious about Iggo as a last name of her mother. Just because it's unusual. When she was old, she looked exactly like my Grandad who was also from there. Fine reporting.

@claire2088 2 года назад

after a certain point it's hard to have sympathy for her, her choices killed people. Even if I didn't think what I was doing would hurt someone I'd still try all the various solutions that might help- it's why we all wear masks when we don't think we have covid.

@angelicagaldos 2 года назад

You have a lovely accent. Love your channel. Did Mary deserved to be locked up? No.

@HistoryCalling 2 года назад

Thank you :-)

@angelicagaldos 2 года назад

@@HistoryCalling You're very welcome. 💜

@jakual339 2 года назад

Eh, I have mixed feelings about this one. From a modern perspective, it certainly sounds like a deep disregard for others. However, this was a time where germ theory was not widely understood or accepted by the public, asymptomatic carriers would have been weird too. From Mary's perspective: some random jackass showed up, accused her of murder, and demanded some of her poop. They told her she had typhoid, but she knew she wasn't sick; they said there was something wrong with her galbladder, but she knew it was working just fine. They were locking her up without trial, over claims that must have sounded completely bogus to her. Her behaviour is consistent with someone who knew they were causing typhoid fever... but it's also consistent with someone who *knew* she wasn't causing typhoid fever (because of course she'd never had typhoid, and wasn't sick, according to her), but also had been blamed and/or targeted before when there were outbreaks. She was not an educated woman. She probably had little reason to trust doctors or authority as a poor Irish woman during that time, and certainly she had even less reason to trust them after what happened to her. It's a tragic case, but I think we're way too quick to brand her as a villain.

@HawkqOjOp 2 года назад

Wow, not Tudor but interesting nonetheless!! I think it's great she was given her own cottage with medical services provided, nice compromise. How many of us would deny that? lol. They could have been nicer about it though and treated her with more respect, which might have led to her reacting more pleasantly. It's sad she never married or had children. I wonder if she ever loved someone. I also wonder how prevalent typhoid was when they knew she was not the source!

@joannebishop3295 2 года назад

Is there a reason why the laundress always got sick? Was Mary serving food to the laundress or was the laundress washing Mary's undies?

@Crystalblue58 2 года назад

Poor Mary. Yes, I know she was wrong, but, in her defense, I am sure she was convinced she was right. The Irish in her day were not well educated. Handwashing was new in the mid-19th century. Much like C19 people of today, there are those who believe and don't believe. Mary was a "don't believe". Further, not talking about your previous life sends red flags that she was a traumatized person. Being a carrier only led to more trauma. Very sad life.