How Typhoid Mary and Her Famous Ice Cream Wreaked Havoc Across NYC

Broken Promises

Mary was allowed to leave the island on the condition that she would never work as a cook again. Mary signed an affidavit promising that she would find a new profession. She returned to New York City, where everyone seemed to forget about her. Well, that is, until a few years later, when a number of hospital staff suddenly fell ill.

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It turns out that several restaurants, hotels, and spas had reported typhoid outbreaks. Again, investigators found a common theme: Each workplace had an Irish cook named Mary Brown or Mary Breshof, who always took off at the start of an outbreak. Then, in 1915, the Sloane Hospital for Women became the center of an outbreak. Over 25 people were diagnosed with typhoid, and two died.

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