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A review by knitter22
Fever by Mary Beth Keane
3.0
Fever by Mary Beth Keane provided me with a good introduction to the life of Mary Mallon (aka Typhoid Mary), but there was a lot of information that would have made the book more complete for me if it had been included. Almost everyone participating in our online book club was busy googling while they read Fever, looking for more basic information about typhoid fever, Mary Mallon's reasons for seeming to refuse any responsibility as a typhoid carrier, and why even though Mary Mallon was the first asymptomatic typhoid carrier to be identified by medical science, she was treated so severely by the NY City Health Department. I would also have liked to read more about George Soper, his background and thought processes in identifying Mary as a carrier. In 2020, we have established public health protocols and laws in the United States, and chronic carriers of most communicable diseases are not allowed to work in sensitive occupations or situations, at least until they repeatedly test negative for the disease-causing agent, but this was not the case in 1907.
By the time of her second quarantine, Mallon was far from the only known asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever. There were thousands across the country and hundreds in New York. Other healthy typhoid carriers identified at the beginning 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. These examples are all male and non-Irish, so I'm looking forward to our book discussion. I anticipate that the rights of patients with communicable diseases, prejudice against Irish immigrants, Mary Mallon's treatment, and gender and social class distinctions in early 20th century America will be among our discussion topics.
For me, much of the value of Fever lay in piquing my curiosity, leading me to research further information about typhoid fever, the asymptomatic carrier status, how these patients are currently treated, and George Soper's original writings.
By the time of her second quarantine, Mallon was far from the only known asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever. There were thousands across the country and hundreds in New York. Other healthy typhoid carriers identified at the beginning 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. These examples are all male and non-Irish, so I'm looking forward to our book discussion. I anticipate that the rights of patients with communicable diseases, prejudice against Irish immigrants, Mary Mallon's treatment, and gender and social class distinctions in early 20th century America will be among our discussion topics.
For me, much of the value of Fever lay in piquing my curiosity, leading me to research further information about typhoid fever, the asymptomatic carrier status, how these patients are currently treated, and George Soper's original writings.