Patient Zero
Summary
This Radiolab episode explores the concept of "Patient Zero" through three distinct stories. It begins with Typhoid Mary, an asymptomatic carrier quarantined for spreading disease, then debunks the myth of Gaëtan Dugas as the origin of the AIDS epidemic, tracing HIV instead to a chimpanzee spillover in Cameroon around 1908. Finally, it investigates the true invention of the high-five, crediting gay baseball player Glenn Burke over a later popularized narrative.
Topics discussed
Intro: Live taping and disease outbreaks
Typhoid Mary: The hunt for Patient Zero
Mary Mallon's quarantine on North Brother Island
Ad break: Capital One
AIDS Epidemic: Gaetan Dugas as Patient Zero
Tracing HIV origins to 1908 Congo
SIV in chimps and the spillover event
Ad break: Capital One
The myth of the high five inventor
Glenn Burke: The real origin of the high five
Debunking the myth and concluding thoughts
Outro and staff credits
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