Medicine: Typhoid Granny

There are still some 800 cases of typhoid in the U.S. every year, and in most instances no latter-day Typhoid Mary (1870-1938) can be called to account. The culprit is usually grandma. The indictment was made last week by Dr. Joseph E. Smadel of the National Institutes of Health as he got the Lasker Award for clinical research. Typhoid,

Dr. Smadel explained, was relatively common until half a century ago, and about 2% of the victims who recovered became carriers, harboring the bacilli in a mysterious quiescent phase. Some of those carriers eventually became...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!