Typhoid Mary

Book excerpt: The riveting true crime tale from beloved chef and bestselling author Anthony Bourdain, originally published in 2001, centering deadly cook Mary Mallon-otherwise known as the infamous Typhoid Mary. By the turn of the twentieth century, it seemed that New York had put an end to the outbreaks of typhoid fever that had ravaged the city. That is, until 1904, when the disease broke out in a household on Long Island. Authorities suspected the family cook, Mary Mallon, of infecting the family through the food on their plates. But before she could be tested, the asymptomatic woman-soon to be known as Typhoid Mary-had disappeared. Proceeding to spread her pestilence from home to home across New York for years, Mary narrowly escaped the law until her arrest and institutionalization in 1907. After three years, she was released on the promise that she could never work as a cook again. So she disappeared once more, assuming countless aliases as she blazed a diseased path through New York, claiming countless lives in her wake. This is her story. Taking us through the seedy back doors of New York's kitchens circa 1900, Typhoid Mary uncovers the horrifying conditions that allowed for the deadly spread of typhoid over a decade and the life of the roguish woman who propelled it. Writing with his signature panache about his best subjects, rugged kitchens and their hardened chefs, Bourdain serves a feast for true crime fans and true Bourdain acolytes alike.