The sad and tragic life of Typhoid Mary
Janet Brooks
Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 154: 915-916
Janet Brooks is a Canadian freelance writer living in Hong Kong.
Abstract
As society grapples with contemporary moral questions raised by the
barring of HIV-infected people from jobs and even crossing some national borders, it is probably useful to re-examine the case of Typhoid Mary. The case of Mary Mallon shows how an earlier age resolved the conflict that arises when society's right to protect itself from unnecessary exposure to disease impinges on the liberty of individual citizens.
| CMAJ March 15, 1996 (vol 154, no 6) |