Warning! If you're not interested in historical content relevant to our current coronavirus outbreak, then maybe pass this one by. But if you're curious to hear about where the term "Typhoid Mary" originates, this is the episode for you. Mary Mallon was an Irish immigrant who got work as a cook in the kitchens of affluent American families in the late 1800's. At the time, typhoid fever was an illness caused by salmonella bacteria that affected primarily the poor - people living in unhygienic slums and close quarters. Mary became one of the first known asymptomatic carriers of a disease, who spread the disease everywhere she went, blissfully unaware of the danger of her presence.
