5 ms·

...on the other hand, the article notes that she hated being called that. Calling her by her real name is a bit more respectful, and when people click on the l

by elihu 5y ago

...on the other hand, the article notes that she hated being called that. Calling her by her real name is a bit more respectful, and when people click on the link without recognizing the name (as I did), it serves as a good reminder that she was a regular human being born with an unfortunate medical condition.

stickfigure 5y ago
...that she refused to acknowledge, causing (at least) tens of deaths. I don't think we are obligated to show excessive respect in this case.
- QuercusMax 5y ago
  I feel there is a direct link between Typhoid Mary and Covid-denying anti-maskers who cough in people's faces. If you're a selfish asshole, you may get an unfortunate nickname.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - Blackthorn 5y ago
    Dude, they told this woman not to work at the only job she could support herself in but refused to provide her any meaningful support. She's not the selfish one in this story.
- enjeyw 5y ago
  That was my instinctive reaction as well. However once I learnt that the concept of asymptomatic carriers wasn't even known at the time, and that she received negative tests for typhoid, I became less convinced that I would have behaved much differently.
  - Clewza313 5y ago
    She received some negative tests for typhoid, but plenty of positive ones as well.
  - _carbyau_ 5y ago
    Throw in a few other factors like: - Irish - woman - unmarried - being told she can't do the only profession she knew With the "asymptomatic story" being delivered by male doctors, likely US born, you can understand why she believed it was simply another case of people out to get her!
    - BizarroLand 5y ago
      Stories like this would make a person believe in being cursed. She killed so many people by simply being present in their house, not understanding or knowing how or why Typhoid followed her everywhere she went. She was the X-Men's Rogue of the early 1900s, suffered a horrible fate tied to a decently long life, and to this day her name is invoked in mockery.
      - munk-a 5y ago
        I don't really know if her name is involved in mockery per-se - I think she's more of an example of both 1) how quickly a pandemic can spread and 2) the fact that asymptomatic carriers are a real danger since they can continue working and interacting in society as normal while just as virulent as someone coughing up a lung. During this pandemic society has been extremely aware of the dangers of assuming someone is fine and not a carrier by their appearance - we've managed to normalize temperature testing, hand washing and wearing a mask regardless of your symptoms. I wouldn't hold ill will against Mary Mallon myself - I think her terrible experience ended up being a huge wake up call to public safety. "The public" is really fucking bad at learning responsible behavior.
- btilly 5y ago
  In her defense, she was illiterate and was literally unable to understand the evidence against her. How did they know that she was giving people a disease that she never had? And how did they know that there was no way that they couldn't have caught it from elsewhere? How would you response if a government bureaucrat showed up and told YOU that you can't be allowed work because you have a unique condition never before seen by science? Would you simply believe them?
- chasil 5y ago
  She was directly connected to 5 fatalities, although some estimations place that number over 50. The wiki goes on to say that other carriers of Salmonella Typhus were not villified. 'Other healthy typhoid carriers identified in the first quarter of the 20th century include Tony Labella, an Italian immigrant, presumed to have caused over 100 cases (with five deaths); an Adirondack guide dubbed "Typhoid John", presumed to have infected 36 people (with two deaths); and Alphonse Cotils, a restaurateur and bakery owner.'
- munk-a 5y ago
  I think it's fair to take a little short hand for clarity when it comes to historical figures. We do call a particular Roman "Octavian" when he would vehemently deny that fact and proclaim loudly that his full legal name is Gaius Julius Caeser[1]. If Mary Mallon were alive today it'd be in extremely poor taste to call her Typhoid Mary to her face - but that name seems to be the historical consensus and we're not going to change it on HN. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus it was a whole thing but he put significant effort into being the heir in name and perception of that other Caeser guy.

by elihu 5y ago

stickfigure 5y ago

...that she refused to acknowledge, causing (at least) tens of deaths. I don't think we are obligated to show excessive respect in this case.

QuercusMax 5y ago
I feel there is a direct link between Typhoid Mary and Covid-denying anti-maskers who cough in people's faces. If you're a selfish asshole, you may get an unfortunate nickname.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- Blackthorn 5y ago
  Dude, they told this woman not to work at the only job she could support herself in but refused to provide her any meaningful support. She's not the selfish one in this story.
enjeyw 5y ago
That was my instinctive reaction as well. However once I learnt that the concept of asymptomatic carriers wasn't even known at the time, and that she received negative tests for typhoid, I became less convinced that I would have behaved much differently.
- Clewza313 5y ago
  She received some negative tests for typhoid, but plenty of positive ones as well.
- _carbyau_ 5y ago
  Throw in a few other factors like: - Irish - woman - unmarried - being told she can't do the only profession she knew With the "asymptomatic story" being delivered by male doctors, likely US born, you can understand why she believed it was simply another case of people out to get her!
  - BizarroLand 5y ago
    Stories like this would make a person believe in being cursed. She killed so many people by simply being present in their house, not understanding or knowing how or why Typhoid followed her everywhere she went. She was the X-Men's Rogue of the early 1900s, suffered a horrible fate tied to a decently long life, and to this day her name is invoked in mockery.
    - munk-a 5y ago
      I don't really know if her name is involved in mockery per-se - I think she's more of an example of both 1) how quickly a pandemic can spread and 2) the fact that asymptomatic carriers are a real danger since they can continue working and interacting in society as normal while just as virulent as someone coughing up a lung. During this pandemic society has been extremely aware of the dangers of assuming someone is fine and not a carrier by their appearance - we've managed to normalize temperature testing, hand washing and wearing a mask regardless of your symptoms. I wouldn't hold ill will against Mary Mallon myself - I think her terrible experience ended up being a huge wake up call to public safety. "The public" is really fucking bad at learning responsible behavior.
btilly 5y ago
In her defense, she was illiterate and was literally unable to understand the evidence against her. How did they know that she was giving people a disease that she never had? And how did they know that there was no way that they couldn't have caught it from elsewhere? How would you response if a government bureaucrat showed up and told YOU that you can't be allowed work because you have a unique condition never before seen by science? Would you simply believe them?
chasil 5y ago
She was directly connected to 5 fatalities, although some estimations place that number over 50. The wiki goes on to say that other carriers of Salmonella Typhus were not villified. 'Other healthy typhoid carriers identified in the first quarter of the 20th century include Tony Labella, an Italian immigrant, presumed to have caused over 100 cases (with five deaths); an Adirondack guide dubbed "Typhoid John", presumed to have infected 36 people (with two deaths); and Alphonse Cotils, a restaurateur and bakery owner.'
munk-a 5y ago
I think it's fair to take a little short hand for clarity when it comes to historical figures. We do call a particular Roman "Octavian" when he would vehemently deny that fact and proclaim loudly that his full legal name is Gaius Julius Caeser[1]. If Mary Mallon were alive today it'd be in extremely poor taste to call her Typhoid Mary to her face - but that name seems to be the historical consensus and we're not going to change it on HN. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus it was a whole thing but he put significant effort into being the heir in name and perception of that other Caeser guy.