Cholera

(kol'e-rah.) [Gr., from chole, bile.] (Med.) The Sporadic C. is commonly called C. morbus, though, aside from the incongruity of a ociating those two words, the one Latin and the other Greek, there is no good reason for appending the word morbus, which expre es no more than is implied in the name of any affection, viz., the existence of disease. Sporadic C. is not peculiar to any country, but is of more frequent occurrence in warm than cold climates. In cold and temperate latitudes it occurs very rarely except during the summer and autumnal months. Frequently an attack seems to be attributable to the indigestion of particular articles of food or drink. Uncooked vegetables, fruits, ices, ., are often supposed to stand in a causative relation to it; and in some cases, the affection is apparently due to indigestion alone. It is probable that, exclusive of these cases, the affection involves a special cause, the nature and source of which are unknown. It is characterized by an evacuation of bile, attended with anxiety, painful grip ings, vomit ings, spasms of the abdominal muscles, and those of the calves of the legs. The disease sometimes proceeds with violence, and, if unchecked in its early stages, great depre ion of strength ensues, and it may quickly terminate in death. It must not, however, be confounded with the Asiatic or Spasmodic C. In Hindostan, Spasmodic C. has probably always existed as a comparatively mild disease; but there is no evidence to show that the Indian C. ever bore the epidemic character, or was entitled to rank with pestilential scourges of the worst description, till Aug.,1817, when it suddenly broke out with unprecedented malignity, attacking the natives first, and manifesting itself among the Europe ans in the following month. The same year it commenced its march from Bengal, and during the following 15 years it traversed nearly the whole of the known world. It prevailed in different parts of the American continent for the first time in 1832, and prevailed again in this country in 1834, '49, '51, '52, '66, and '67. At the present time, while this work is pa ing through the pre (November 1871), there is much ground for expecting a speedy reappearance of the epidemic here. Commencing again its march over the globe since the beginning of last spring, it is now travelling over the countries of Europe, and its advent on this side of the Atlantic may be looked for at any moment. The most remarkable feature of this disease is the suddenne of its attack. It begins with watery diarrhea, or other generally slight indisposition, which is followed by vomiting or purging of awh ite or colorle fluid, violent cramps, and great prostration, and a collapse, which occur at the same time with the vomiting and cramps, or shortly after them. Should the patient survive the last train of symptoms, a state of excitement and fever supervenes. This period of the disease, commonly called the stage of reaction, is not devoid of considerable danger, and fatal termination occurs in a pretty large proportion of the cases in which the stage of reaction takes place; and in the cases which recover, the powers of the system are generally impaired for a long period. For a considerable time the medical world was much divided in opinion as to the contagious or non-contagious nature of cholera; the disputes on this subject, however, have now nearly subsided, the great majority of medical men being persuaded that the disease is epidemic, and not contagious in its character. [s. 182]