8 Fascinating Historical Facts about Isolation and Quarantine

Individuals carrying irregular variations of a disease have been asked to quarantine when there was no outbreak

Mary Mallon, also known by the name of “Typhoid Mary,” was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever in the early 20th century. After breaking a vow she made to authorities not to seek employment as a family cook — due to the fact that she was shown to be highly infectious — she was sent to North Brother Island in New York where she was forced to remain in isolation for the rest of her life.

Another case, as recent as 2007, saw attorney Andrew Speaker quarantined by public health officials, as he was infected by a rare drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. After Speaker fled the quarantine, he was apprehended by federal authorities, quarantined at a medical center in Denver, and eventually cured.

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