TYPHOID MARY

TYPHOID MARYInformative Article

BUILDING BACKGROUNDBorn 23 Sep 1869; died 11 Nov1938. Mary Mallon, famous typhoid carrier in

the New York City area in the early 20th century.

Fifty-one original cases of typhoid and three deaths.

She herself was immune to the typhoid bacillus

She died not from typhoid but from the effects of a paralytic stroke dating back to 25 Dec 1932.

What is TYPHOID FEVER?Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid,[1] is

a common worldwide illness, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi.[2][3] The bacteria then perforate through the intestinal wall and are phagocytosed by macrophages. The organism is a Gram-negative short bacillus that is motile due to its peritrichous flagella. The bacterium grows best at 37°C / 98.6°F – human body temperature.

PREVENTIONSanitation and hygiene are the critical

measures that can be taken to prevent typhoid. Typhoid does not affect animals and therefore transmission is only from human to human. Typhoid can only spread in environments where human feces or urine are able to come into contact with food or drinking water. Careful food preparation and washing of hands are crucial to preventing typhoid.

WORDS TO KNOWCondition n. diseaseLine 14: In other cases, their condition would

worsen & they would die.Transferred v. carried from one place to

anotherGerms n. kumanInvestigating n. examining closely and

carefullyLunged v. moved forward suddenlyInfamous adj. having a bad reputation

Workbook page 35

VOCABULARYLine 5: wealthy adj. richLine 9: chills n. a feeling of coldLine 11: nosebleed n. when blood comes

out of a person’s noseLine 12: a bright red rash n. a lot of small

red spots on the skin Line 12: cough(ing) n. batukLine 14 recover v. to get back esp. healthLine 19: fumes n. dangerous gas or

smoke

VOCABULARYLine 42: struck v. past tense from

strikeLine 44: took off v. leftLine 46: investigating v.

examining closely and carefully

VOCABULARYLine 61: furious adj. angryLine 62: carving forkLine 62: lunged v. move forward suddenlyLine 66: filth n. dirtLine 73: health hazard n. something dangerous for health Line 87: crouch(ed) v. Line 91: literally adv. Simply, justLine 109: vanish(ed) disappear

CONTEXT CLUESThe words & phrases around a

word provide clues to the word’s meaning.

It took Jim two weeks to completely get over his cold. He thought he would recover soon.

When the detectives investigate a scene, they look closely for clues.

Workbook pg 34

1st chunkPage 82, lines 1-29

QUESTIONSWhat real person is this article

about?Mary Mallon

Where do the events take place?New York.

How do you know?wealthy New York family (line 5)

QUESTIONSWhen do the events take place?

in the early 1900s.REREAD: What causes typhoid to

spread?Germs get on people’s hand when they use the toilet. If they touch food before they wash

their hands, the germs can get transferred to the food.

If people eat the food, they can get typhoid.

THINK IT THROUGHWhy is typhoid such a harmful

disease?In the early 1900s, about one out of every five people who got it died.

2nd chunkPage 83 & 84, lines 30-47

THINK IT THROUGHWhat does Mary do when a

family she works for catches typhoid?She collects her pay, packs her bags, and takes off.

What do you think will happen next?Mary will get another job.Mary will run away and not work again

3rd chunkPages 84-85, lines 48-79

QUESTIONSREREAD: Which words are clues

to the meaning of filth?dirty, smelly

THINK IT THROUGHHow does Mary react to the

doctor Soper sends to talk to her?Mary ignores her because she does not believe her.

4th chunkPages 85-86, lines 80-102

QUESTIONSWhat causes Dr. Baker and the

city officials to lock Mary up?They can’t think of another way to stop her from spreading typhoid, since she refuses to wash her hands and stop working as a cook.

THINK IT THROUGHREREAD: What point is Mary

trying to make?It was against the law for the city to hold her prisoner.

Why does the government keep Mary a prisoner?They feel that she is a danger to others.

5th chunkPages 86-87, lines 103-133

THINK IT THROUGHWhy did the police arrest Mary

again and keep her locked up?She disappeared when they let her loose & continued spreading typhoid by cooking for others.They needed to lock her up to prevent the spread of the disease.

THINK IT THROUGHDo you think the government

was right to keep Mary a prisoner?Yes, Mary is a menace = threat to society.No, because the government was violating her rights.

THINK IT THROUGHThis article gives only one side of

the facts about Mary. It does not give Mary’s account. Do you think she felt she was a danger to others? Explain.Yes, because Mary hurt and killed other people.No, she was just trying to make a living.

CAUSE & EFFECT (WB p. )

DETAILS (WB p. )