In the 19th century, typhoid was considered a disease of the lower classes. When an outbreak occurred in wealthy Oyster Bay, New York, a mystery was afoot. Tune in to learn how this event began an ongoing debate over public safety versus civil rights.
AI Summary
Get ready to dive into one of history's most fascinating public health mysteries! This episode tells the incredible true story of Mary Mallon, better known as "Typhoid Mary," an Irish immigrant cook in early 1900s New York who unknowingly spread typhoid fever to wealthy families while remaining perfectly healthy herself. Josh and Chuck explore how this stubborn, fiery woman became the center of a groundbreaking scientific discovery about "healthy carriers" and sparked a national debate about individual rights versus public safety that still resonates today.
Coming to America
1988
1h 57m
★ 6.9
"That's what I thought of when I was reading about that — Josh compared Mary Mallon's situation of being demoted to laundry work to the movie's theme of working below one's station."
— Josh
Contagion
2011
1h 46m
★ 6.6
"And I guess the answer to that is contagion. Yes. Have you seen it? — Josh mentioned Contagion when discussing the civil liberties vs public health debate that Typhoid Mary's case raised."
— Josh
Gangs of New York
2002
2h 48m
★ 7.3
"when Daniel Day Lewis was walking around New York with a meat cleaver overacting a little bit — Josh referenced the movie when describing late 19th century New York as the historical setting for the Typhoid Mary story."
— Josh
Les Misérables
1998
2h 14m
★ 7.2
"This is like Les Miserables — Josh compared the cat-and-mouse dynamic between Dr. Soper pursuing Mary Mallon to the pursuit theme in Les Misérables."
— Josh
Shutter Island
2010
2h 18m
★ 8.2
"what's the de Caprio? Shutter Island — Josh compared North Brother Island quarantine hospital to the creepy asylum setting in Shutter Island."
— Josh
"The Love Day episode is what it is — Chuck corrected Josh about which Simpsons episode featured the Garbage Commissioner that Josh was referencing when describing New York's cleanup crews."
— Chuck
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