Also known as Typhoid Mary. An asymptomatic carrier of Typhoid fever who infected more than a hundred and killed at least three people while working as a cook.

  • RebekahWSD@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    10 months ago

    Anecdote: I took a food manager safety test and it came with study material. Most of it was normal, where and how to store food, temperature controls, etc.

    There was an entire section on just Typoid Mary and how she killed people. Like extremely detailed compared to other sections. How she kept going back to cooking, how it killed so many, how she was asymptomatic.

    Also don’t touch turtles then make food.

    • Algaroth@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      81·
      9 months ago

      I work in brewing and we’re basically making candy for microorganisms. The importance of hygiene is insane. If anything but the yeast you want gets in there the whole batch is fucked. Anything that touches the beer at any stage is basically drenched in alcohol or acid beforehand.

      I think the sad part about Typhoid Mary is that if it was today she could have just gotten some antibiotics and/or had her gallbladder removed. My brother had his gallbladder removed and it’s a simple procedure and you can go home the same day.

      • RebekahWSD@lemmy.worldEnglish
        7·
        9 months ago

        At the time it would have been a much riskier prospect! But the other job women did at that time, laundry, paid badly so she kept going back to the job that paid enough to survive.

        It was just very sad all around honestly. These days a lot that could be done to help her and protect others!

        • Algaroth@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          7·
          9 months ago

          Indeed. Antibiotics weren’t around at the time and surgery was very risky. Especially considering that hand washing was still being debated at the time. Nowadays some antibiotics and hand sanitizer and you could send her on her way, more or less.

          But it also highlights how shitty working conditions were at the time for women. Laundry work was also dangerous due to all the chemicals involved. Look up laundry babies. Basically babies kept under their mothers workstations breathing in bleach and other shit all day.