CHOLERA 



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CHOLERA. 

 DEFINITION. 



An acute, specific, endemic or epidemic disease, caused by Koch's 

 V^ibrio cholerai, 1883, and characterized by violent purging, rice-water 

 stools, vomiting, muscular cramps, suppression of urine, collapse and 

 high mortality. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The name is of Greek origin, and was perhaps applied because the 

 violent watery stools resembled water rushing from a spout. 



It has been known in India since the most ancient times. 



Ahmed Shah's army was decimated by it in 1438. There were 

 several outbreaks after this in India, Burmah and Ceylon. The first 

 great epidemic outside India was from 181 7 to 1827, when China was 

 infected. 



Although cholera is not an endemic disease in Europe, its mani- 

 festations in the 19th and 20th centuries killed millions of its people. 

 There have been nine invasions of Europe in a little over 80 years. 

 The chief centre of attack was about the Caspian Sea in Russia. All 

 the invasions probably came from India by indirect routes. The 

 endemic centres of Java, Indo-China and the Philippines were probably 

 not implicated. An excellent summary of these attacks is given by 

 Professor W. J. Simpson as follows : — 



