Due to the intervening Thanksgiving holiday, our next meeting will be
postponed until Tuesday December 2nd at 7 pm in Latham Library on Thetford
Hill.

We will discuss “Typhoid Mary – Captive to the Public’s Health” by Judith
Walzer Leavitt.   Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant cook, was a carrier
of *Salmonella
typhi, *the organism which causes typhoid fever, for which at the turn of
the 20th century there was no treatment.   Several members of families for
whom she cooked got typhoid fever and some died.   Her incarceration,
subsequent release and then permanent quarantine are discussed.   We may
possibly follow up by reading about the person who was ultimately
responsible for what happened to her, namely Dr S. Josephine Baker, the
public health commissioner for New York City at the time, whose memoir
“Fighting for Life” includes the events discussed in Typhoid Mary and Dr
Baker’s revolutionary impact on infant mortality in the city.

At a time when Ebola is very much in the public eye, it will be interesting
to see how people reacted to another disease which was untreatable at the
time.

“Typhoid Mary” may be obtainable from your local library, via interlibrary
loan, from your favorite local bookstore, or via www.bookfinder.com, the
aggregator site featuring booksellers large and small from all over the
world.

All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on
Tuesday December 2nd.