TYPHOID MARY Informative Article

BUILDING BACKGROUND Born 23 Sep 1869; died 11 Nov1938. Mary Mallon, famous typhoid carrier in the New York City area in the early 20th century. Fifty-one original cases of typhoid and three deaths. She herself was immune to the typhoid bacillus She died not from typhoid but from the effects of a paralytic stroke dating back to 25 Dec 1932.

What is TYPHOID FEVER? Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid,[1] is a common worldwide illness, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi.[2][3] The bacteria then perforate through the intestinal wall and are phagocytosed by macrophages. The organism is a Gram-negative short bacillus that is motile due to its peritrichous flagella. The bacterium grows best at 37°C / 98.6°F – human body temperature.

PREVENTION Sanitation and hygiene are the critical measures that can be taken to prevent typhoid. Typhoid does not affect animals and therefore transmission is only from human to human. Typhoid can only spread in environments where human feces or urine are able to come into contact with food or drinking water. Careful food preparation and washing of hands are crucial to preventing typhoid.

WORDS TO KNOW Condition n. disease Line 14: In other cases, their condition would worsen & they would die. Transferred v. carried from one place to another Germs n. kuman Investigating n. examining closely and carefully Lunged v. moved forward suddenly Infamous adj. having a bad reputation Workbook page 35

VOCABULARY Line 5: wealthy adj. rich Line 9: chills n. a feeling of cold Line 11: nosebleed n. when blood comes out of a person’s nose Line 12: a bright red rash n. a lot of small red spots on the skin Line 12: cough(ing) n. batuk Line 14 recover v. to get back esp. health Line 19: fumes n. dangerous gas or smoke

VOCABULARY Line 42: struck v. past tense from strike Line 44: took off v. left Line 46: investigating v. examining closely and carefully

VOCABULARY Line 61: furious adj. angry Line 62: carving fork Line 62: lunged v. move forward suddenly Line 66: filth n. dirt Line 73: health hazard n. something dangerous for health Line 87: crouch(ed) v. Line 91: literally adv. Simply, just Line 109: vanish(ed) disappear

CONTEXT CLUES The words & phrases around a word provide clues to the word’s meaning. It took Jim two weeks to completely get over his cold. He thought he would recover soon. When the detectives investigate a scene, they look closely for clues. Workbook pg 34

1st chunk Page 82, lines 1-29

QUESTIONS What real person is this article about? Mary Mallon Where do the events take place? New York. How do you know? wealthy New York family (line 5)

QUESTIONS When do the events take place? in the early 1900s. REREAD: What causes typhoid to spread? Germs get on people’s hand when they use the toilet. If they touch food before they wash their hands, the germs can get transferred to the food. If people eat the food, they can get typhoid.

THINK IT THROUGH Why is typhoid such a harmful disease? In the early 1900s, about one out of every five people who got it died.

2nd chunk Page 83 & 84, lines 30-47

THINK IT THROUGH What does Mary do when a family she works for catches typhoid? She collects her pay, packs her bags, and takes off. What do you think will happen next? Mary will get another job. Mary will run away and not work again

3rd chunk Pages 84-85, lines 48-79

QUESTIONS REREAD: Which words are clues to the meaning of filth? dirty, smelly

THINK IT THROUGH How does Mary react to the doctor Soper sends to talk to her? Mary ignores her because she does not believe her.

4th chunk Pages 85-86, lines 80-102

QUESTIONS What causes Dr. Baker and the city officials to lock Mary up? They can’t think of another way to stop her from spreading typhoid, since she refuses to wash her hands and stop working as a cook.

THINK IT THROUGH REREAD: What point is Mary trying to make? It was against the law for the city to hold her prisoner. Why does the government keep Mary a prisoner? They feel that she is a danger to others.

5th chunk Pages 86-87, lines 103-133

THINK IT THROUGH Why did the police arrest Mary again and keep her locked up? She disappeared when they let her loose & continued spreading typhoid by cooking for others. They needed to lock her up to prevent the spread of the disease.

THINK IT THROUGH Do you think the government was right to keep Mary a prisoner? Yes, Mary is a menace = threat to society. No, because the government was violating her rights.

THINK IT THROUGH This article gives only one side of the facts about Mary. It does not give Mary’s account. Do you think she felt she was a danger to others? Explain. Yes, because Mary hurt and killed other people. No, she was just trying to make a living.

CAUSE & EFFECT (WB p. )

DETAILS (WB p. )