00:00 In the late 19th century, New York City was filled with horse manure due to the large number of horses used for transportation, and it wasn't until 1895 that the streets were cleaned up by a group called the White Wings.

04:50 In the late 19th century, New York City was a foul and unsanitary place, leading to the formation of the Department of Sanitation, which had the power to forcibly inoculate and quarantine individuals without due process, due to the understanding of germ theory, and typhoid fever was a major public health problem, causing violent diarrhea, high fever, and death for many people, including famous individuals like Mary Todd Lincoln and Wilbur Wright.

09:25 Dr. George Soper, a sanitation engineer and epidemiologist, was hired by the Thompson family in Oyster Bay to investigate a typhoid outbreak in their house, and after interviewing the kitchen staff, he discovered that a former employee named Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, had worked for multiple families with typhoid outbreaks and was likely the source of the disease.

13:38 Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, was believed to be a healthy carrier of typhoid fever, meaning she had the disease but her immune system was able to suppress it, making her extremely contagious, and Dr. George Soper believed she could be the face of bacteriology.

17:53 Typhoid Mary was initially resistant to cooperating with Dr. Soper's investigation and was eventually forcibly taken to a quarantine hospital where she was tested and found to be a carrier of typhoid fever.

22:14 Mary was quarantined on North Brother Island, which had a bad reputation as a hospital for treating diseases and addictions, and she tried to prove her innocence by sending stool samples to a private lab, leading to her day in court.

26:02 Mary was incarcerated on North Brother Island for three years, but was eventually freed and given a job in laundry by a new health commissioner who was more sympathetic towards her.

30:23 Mary was discovered to be cooking in the kitchen at Sloan Hospital under an assumed name, resulting in 25 doctors and nurses getting sick and two dying, leading to her willingly going back into custody.

34:42 The legacy of Typhoid Mary sparks a debate over how much civil liberty a person should have when they pose a public health threat.