Typhoid mary documentary review PDF

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Karisma king July 19th 2018 Professor Patrick SCN 195

Typhoid Mary Reflection

Could you imagine being accused of an infectious disease, held against your will and being experimented on because a cure has not yet been discovered? In the documentary “Typhoid Mary: The Most dangerous woman in America”, gives insight about a woman named Mary Mallon, who was the first in New York City to be considered a healthy carrier of a deadly disease that killed thousands. Typhoid fever was shown to be common among poor people in poor conditions associated with typical stereotypes of being “dirty”. After watching the film, I realized how important it is to have a understanding and inner personal skills when dealing with someone who doesn’t understand that they are a health risks to others and how fast an epidemic can spread from just one single person. This event raises many questions, would the turnout have been the same if she just complied? would things be different if Pasteur changed his approach? And could the fact that she was a woman and a immigrant, play a role in how the health department treated her? There is no doubt that discovering that Mary was a carrier brought a lot of recognition to others who were also healthy carriers. This documentary is a valid representation of how new disease and epidemics where dealt with and how perspective and approach can greatly Influence and individual and society. Informed Consent is described as our human right to have the choice of what we do with our bodies. In the film Mary refused to give any samples or take any test for George Scoufer, who had first suspected that she was the cause of the typhoid fever epidemic. Although she had the right to make her own choice, she failed to voluntarily grant consent. By her not wanting to be tested and continuing to cook and infect others , she was not able to make an Informed decision and instead sent to quarantine

from 1907-1910 . The time she was able to make her own choice of the suggestion of her gallbladder being removed she refused , after they diagnosed her with being a healthy carrier of the disease. Informed decision is when health choices are made for the patients best interest with information provided. This decision was exercised when Mary was sent back to quarantine after being discovered under a false name, Mary Brown. Because in the past she was diagnosed with Typhoid fever ,released in 1910 and was told to not work as a cook again , the decision was justified . The health departments decision was for her to stay on north brother's island. Her stay was from 1915- 1938 . She spent the rest of her life . Marys' position in society contributed to her return to North Brother island from serval factors. She was Irish American which played a role because where she is from, women have no rights and was the center of blame for everything negative. She was singled out , although about 49 cases and 3% of people were discovered to also be carries, they did not suffer the same fate as she did. I understand how being poor put her in a very conflicting situation because she was told to no longer serve food, which for her class, was the highest paying job she could obtain. After the death of her boyfriend, things became hard for her as she was on her own. At first , in the public eye , she was seen as a woman who was being held against her own will . The media had limited information on her , however she fought for her day in court and got a lawyer which helped her be released . She was treated unfairly but was very stubborn which , after being caught the second time, had others look at her in another view. She became a symbol of death in a sense because of her denial of having an infectious disease which killed others. I believe that Public health officials learned a lot from her case alone and how a persons choice can affect others ....