The Typhoid Marys

'I was cut adrift; taken by the tide to God knows where.'

Mary Mallon was born in Ireland in 1869 and emigrated to the United States in 1884 where she worked as a cook. She was though, an asymptomatic carrier of Typhoid, and everywhere she went she spread  the disease to many of those she came into contact with; this was a time before antibiotics and where the mere mention of the disease spread fear amongst all who heard it mentioned.

 

In England, the government took the view that such carriers should be isolated and put in place legislation to have all such carriers isolated in mental institutions. Longrove Hospital in Epsom, Surrey was one such institution and late in the 20th century it became clear that many of these women had become institutionalised and in fact were never released from incarceration.

This play, previewed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2010, appears here in a completely rewritten version and juxtaposes the story of Mary Mallon with the tragic story of several of the women who ended their lives in Longrove Hospital.

To view a professionally shot film of the Edinburgh Festival show in 2010 click on the link below.

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