Question

2. Choose one historical figure that contributed to epidemiology prior to 1950 who was mentioned in the text or lecture notes OR someone you know about who was not mentioned in the readings or lecture notes. Discuss 3 interesting facts about this historical figure that were not covered already in the course materials.

Answer 1

Epidemiology is the study of epidemics and their prevention i.e. the study of the distribution and determinants of the health-related states or events in specified populations and the application of the study to the control of health problems.

The history of epidemiology has involved many key players who sought to understand and explain illness, injury and death from an observational scientific perspective and provide information for the prevention and control of health-related states and events. There were many people like Hippocrates, John Graunt, John Snow, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Florence Nightingale etc. who contributed to the field of epidemiology. But here I thought to discuss about an individual who indirectly contributed to epidemiology and rarely mentioned in the lecture.  She was Mary Mallon , who was popularly known as Typhoid Mary.

In the early 1900's, there were number of cases of typhoid fever occurred in the United States . Mary Mallon who was a chronic carrier of typhoid, worked as a cook in many homes and was believed to be responsible for 53 cases of typhoid fever. She was identified and confined by health officials from 1907 to 1910 and was isolated. Later through legal action she was released and she again started to work as a cook in two different hospitals with a different name. Two years later, more than 200 people were affected in both the hospitals. This incident taught the public health officials and epidemiologists the importance of keeping track of the carriers. It also showed that typhoid carriers should never be allowed to handle food or drink intended for public consumption. In later years, Typhoid Mary voluntarily accepted isolation and died at age 72yrs.

Through this Typhoid Mary experience it was understood that investigating, tracking and controlling of certain types of diseases can affect large population.