Typhoid fever in itself is not a disease well known by history. Typhoid fever played only a small part in the history of the human race and compared to other diseases comes across as more of a nuisance with exception to its role in the Plague of Athens. On the surface, “enteric fever” causes a small but common array of symptoms: fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, chills, muscle aches and skin rash. The cause of the disease is salmonella typhi, a bacterium that rides contaminated food and water before establishing pathogenic residence in the human gastro-intestinal tract. Although the disease isn’t as prominent (or ever was), it still impacted our world in a few interesting ways.
In the year 2000, over 20 million people were afflicted with typhoid fever, and subsequently 217,000 people died. This is a significant figure, considering that prevention of typhoid fever is easily attainable. In 2005, DNA extraction suggested salmonella typhi as a culprit of the Plague of Athens. In 430bc, Athens Greece took on a significant number of refugees within the walls during a siege by Spartan forces during the Peloponnesian war. The overcrowded Athens depended entirely on naval supplies for food and support. When the disease struck, it killed an estimated one to two thirds of the human population of Athens. The cramped quarters and lack of space to bury bodies, and lack of clean water made transmission of the disease extremely easy. The normal population of the city was not allowed to leave the city and subsequently mass hysteria resulted. Lawlessness was rampant, and subsequently everyone in the city was affected. Had it not been for the disease, Athens may have withstood the Peloponnesian siege and Sparta may not be known today as the military powerhouse it once was. According to the CDC, it is estimated that there are around 5,700 Salmonella Typhi cases in the U.S. per year. Moreover, this bacterium survives only in the gastrointestinal tract of a human host. When a person is initially infected with the bacteria, they develop typhoid fever and subsequently their body mounts an immune response. Those who “recover” from the typhoid fever will have either eradicated the bacteria from their body, or become a “carrier” for the bacterium. Those who are actively fighting acute typhoid fever as well as carriers for the disease “shed” the bacteria in their feces. Subsequently, this is how the disease is spread from person to person. People with the disease can develop fevers as high as 103 or 104 degrees Fahrenheit that last for weeks to months. The CDC claims that around 20% of patients left untreated with the disease end up dying. But more importantly, those who recover from the disease might be banned from working if their job involves food or children, until it is proven that the person is not a carrier. This ruling stems from a very interesting storing dating back to a period between 1900 and 1907. It is the year …show more content…
At the time there was no evidence that someone could be a “healthy carrier” of a disease. Mallon’s case would set a precedent for the detention of person who harbors an infectious disease yet shows no symptoms. Mary would find herself released of detention with a single stipulation: that she would not work as a cook ever again. However, feeling health, she violated this rule and found herself in court yet again. Mary Mallon would go down in history under the name Typhoid Mary. More importantly it was Soper’s discovery of the culprit that led to New York health officials reasoning out the possibility of healthy carriers of diseases. Specifically, 3% of those who contract typhoid fever remain carriers. Additionally, the rulings against Mary Mallon set a direct precedent against future carriers. There is an infamous article in a 1909 newspaper of Mallon depicting her cooking, notice the skulls in the frying pan. While I cannot say that typhoid fever is among the top 12 diseases that have changed our world, I can speculate that it has at the least changed the way we treat carriers for diseases. Moreover, the fall of Athens to the Spartans must surely have caused a significant butterfly effect on the world. Mary Mallon would go down in the history books infamously where her story is still known by much of the American
In the year 2000, over 20 million people were afflicted with typhoid fever, and subsequently 217,000 people died. This is a significant figure, considering that prevention of typhoid fever is easily attainable. In 2005, DNA extraction suggested salmonella typhi as a culprit of the Plague of Athens. In 430bc, Athens Greece took on a significant number of refugees within the walls during a siege by Spartan forces during the Peloponnesian war. The overcrowded Athens depended entirely on naval supplies for food and support. When the disease struck, it killed an estimated one to two thirds of the human population of Athens. The cramped quarters and lack of space to bury bodies, and lack of clean water made transmission of the disease extremely easy. The normal population of the city was not allowed to leave the city and subsequently mass hysteria resulted. Lawlessness was rampant, and subsequently everyone in the city was affected. Had it not been for the disease, Athens may have withstood the Peloponnesian siege and Sparta may not be known today as the military powerhouse it once was. According to the CDC, it is estimated that there are around 5,700 Salmonella Typhi cases in the U.S. per year. Moreover, this bacterium survives only in the gastrointestinal tract of a human host. When a person is initially infected with the bacteria, they develop typhoid fever and subsequently their body mounts an immune response. Those who “recover” from the typhoid fever will have either eradicated the bacteria from their body, or become a “carrier” for the bacterium. Those who are actively fighting acute typhoid fever as well as carriers for the disease “shed” the bacteria in their feces. Subsequently, this is how the disease is spread from person to person. People with the disease can develop fevers as high as 103 or 104 degrees Fahrenheit that last for weeks to months. The CDC claims that around 20% of patients left untreated with the disease end up dying. But more importantly, those who recover from the disease might be banned from working if their job involves food or children, until it is proven that the person is not a carrier. This ruling stems from a very interesting storing dating back to a period between 1900 and 1907. It is the year …show more content…
At the time there was no evidence that someone could be a “healthy carrier” of a disease. Mallon’s case would set a precedent for the detention of person who harbors an infectious disease yet shows no symptoms. Mary would find herself released of detention with a single stipulation: that she would not work as a cook ever again. However, feeling health, she violated this rule and found herself in court yet again. Mary Mallon would go down in history under the name Typhoid Mary. More importantly it was Soper’s discovery of the culprit that led to New York health officials reasoning out the possibility of healthy carriers of diseases. Specifically, 3% of those who contract typhoid fever remain carriers. Additionally, the rulings against Mary Mallon set a direct precedent against future carriers. There is an infamous article in a 1909 newspaper of Mallon depicting her cooking, notice the skulls in the frying pan. While I cannot say that typhoid fever is among the top 12 diseases that have changed our world, I can speculate that it has at the least changed the way we treat carriers for diseases. Moreover, the fall of Athens to the Spartans must surely have caused a significant butterfly effect on the world. Mary Mallon would go down in the history books infamously where her story is still known by much of the American