This fascinating five-part series was written, presented, and produced by Ophelia Byrne and follows the story of Mary Mallon, the Irish immigrant who worked as a cook in 19th Century New York. She is more well-known as ‘Typhoid Mary,’ and has become infamous for being an asymptomatic spreader of the disease. She is believed to have infected between 51 and 122 people with typhoid fever.

At the beginning of the podcast, Ophelia sets out that her interest was piqued in this area in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic, where the term ‘Typhoid Mary’ was used as “instant shorthand for death and disease on a massive scale.” Ophelia wanted to tell Mary’s story from a unique perspective and get to the root of who exactly Mary Mallon was. This is where our Professor Armour comes in. Her contribution highlights the significant trauma likely experienced by Mary from her childhood which may have led her to concealing her identity, as well as the trauma and shock from finding out she was infecting others with Typhoid disease. Although ‘Typhoid Mary’ became an iconic figure, especially during the pandemic, her mental health and potentially traumatic life experiences are usually not acknowledged or explored. In addition to Professor Armour’s contribution, the podcast series features a number of professionals such as genealogists, who tried to identify Mary’s roots, and other researchers who provide historical and biographical information and take the listeners through the intricacies of the disease.

Speaking about her role in this podcast Professor Armour said:

“Initially when I was approached to participate in the podcast about Typhoid Mary, I had replied to the BBC reporter to say I wasn’t sure I was the right academic for this as I didn’t study history nor typhoid. In fact, concerning typhoid, I really didn’t know much about it at all. Ophelia replied that I was exactly the right person as she wanted to take a different look at this story from the usual way it gets covered, and that she was really interested in Mary's life experiences and how they would have impacted on her wellbeing and mental health. She expected that a lot of Mary's experiences would have been traumatic and that it would be unique to explore that. I agreed to go along to the BBC studios in Belfast and record a discussion about Mary, her life experiences, and how those might have impacted on her. We spoke for over an hour, and I genuinely enjoyed the conversation and opportunity. I learned a lot about typhoid and about Typhoid Mary, so it was both an educational experience for me whilst also an opportunity to use my expertise in a different way.”

This educational podcast looks at Mary as more than just a disease-spreader, but as a fascinating human being and takes a brand-new perspective on this piece of history. Listen to the five-part series here.