George Soper
George Albert Soper II (2 February 1870 – 17 June 1948) was an American sanitation engineer. He was best known for discovering Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, a carrier of Typhoid fever who had no symptoms.[1]
Biography
Soper was the son of George Albert Soper (1837 – 1869) and Georgianna Lydia Buckman (d. 1882).[2]
He received his degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1895 and a PhD from Columbia University in 1899.[3] He was described as 'Major, US Army', in the entry for 1907 in the New York City Department of Health Centennial Newspaper noting the 'discovery of the carrier, Typhoid Mary'.[4] He was the managing director of the American Society for the Control of Cancer, which later changed its name to the American Cancer Society, from 1923-1928.[2]
Typhoid Mary was tracked down and arrested by Ms. Willa Carey Noble, a bacteriologist at Research laboratories of the Public Health Department of New York City under William Hallock Park, in Mr. Soper's office, as he acknowledged in his writings.
References
- GEORGE A.SOPER: THE CURIOUS CAREER OF TYPHOID MARY www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, accessed 25 April 2020
- George Soper at Find a Grave
- Leavitt 1996, p. 15.
- Arthur Bushel, in 'Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper' 1866 New York City Department of Health Centennial 1966, page 14 March 1966 www1.nyc.gov, accessed 27 April 2020
- Dr. G. A. Soper dies; fought epidemics. New York Times, June 18, 1948. p23.
- s:Author:George Albert Soper
Sources
- Walzer Leavitt, Judith (1996). Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public's Health. Boston: Beacon Press.