Let Typhoid Mary Go!
The press had a field day with Mary’s situation, giving her the nickname “Typhoid Mary.” Everyone in town knew that the Irish cook was infected with typhoid, and they were happy to have her quarantined on North Brother Island. Well, not everyone. Some doctors disagreed with the isolation, calling it an overly strict punishment.
Source: Twitter
They believed that Mary just needed to learn how to live with her situation, instead of being locked up away from society. But the problem was that Mary was uncooperative and unwilling to change her ways. Soon, the cook suffered a nervous breakdown and complained that the doctors were treating her like a “guinea pig.” After two years and 11 months in quarantine, the New York Commissioner of Health made a decision.