The movie Typhoid Mary: The Most Dangerous Woman is about making educated choices in which doctors present information regarding the patient’s health and the right course of action. The film tells the story of Mary Mallon, who was the first identified symptomless typhoid carrier who had infected dozens of people. Officials were severe with her, imprisoning the woman, even though other healthy typhoid fever carriers were not detained.
The film showed how Dr. Soper wanted to provide Mary with information and hoped for cooperation but failed to achieve it; to hospitalize Mary, Dr. Soper needed her to accept this decision. However, he both underestimated the psychological protections of a person, the novelty of the bacterial infection idea and his own lack of ability to provide the patient with undeniable facts. The sharing decision-making process is seen when Dr. Soper warned Mary that she may trigger an unwelcome Typhoid fever breakout at Oyster Bay due to the possibility that she carries disease-causing bacteria in her body (“Typhoid Mary”). Dr. Soper was communicating directly with Mary; the case exemplifies shared decision-making since Mary was suspected of being the cause of the Typhoid epidemic and was offered the option of getting tested.
Additionally, the movie presents a situation of informed consent when the physicians suggest Mary forego surgery. The doctors explained to the patient that they had a theory that her gallbladder was the possible focal point of infection from their point of view. They advised removing Mary’s gallbladder in the film and promised that it would lead to full recovery (“Typhoid Mary”). Knowing all the information about the surgery, Mary eventually declined it. The doctors were accountable for communicating a recommendation to the patient, who was ultimately responsible for accepting or rejecting the advice.
Work Cited
“Typhoid Mary: The Most Dangerous Woman.”YouTube, uploaded by DocFleaPhD, 2017.