It is difficult to decide where the rights of one citizen stop, and the rights of all other citizens begin. In the case of Mary Mallon, health care officials placed the greater good of the population above the rights of an individual, for the right reasons. However, officials at the New York City Health Department went about it in the wrong way. I do not think Mary should have been kept in isolation for the rest of her life. However, I do believe she was given a fair chance at a normal life when she was told to stop cooking. I believe the Health Department was trying to be fair to Mary in providing her with a job as a laundress. However, it is unfair that they monitored her so closely, but neglected many others that were infected with typhoid.
