Cholera

Medical Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A severe infectious disease causing intense vomiting and dehydration. In poetry it can evoke fear, sudden death, and the terror of epidemic disease.

Detailed Definition
Cholera became one of the most feared epidemic diseases of the nineteenth century, spreading rapidly through contaminated water and causing severe dehydration and death. The dramatic outbreaks that swept through cities left deep impressions on the cultural imagination. In literature and poetry, cholera often symbolises the destructive force of unseen threats and the fragility of human life in crowded societies. References to the disease frequently evoke the atmosphere of panic, mourning, and social disruption that accompanied historical epidemics.
Example
Example in poetry:
The epidemic of cholera swept through the crowded streets; Poets wrote elegies for victims lost to cholera; The fear of cholera changed the city's sanitation forever; He described the blue skin of those struck by cholera; Cholera was seen as a judgment upon the filthy poor; The poem mourns the silence left by the cholera outbreak.
Additional Notes
Cholera was one of the most feared epidemic diseases of the nineteenth century, spreading rapidly and causing severe dehydration and death. Poets sometimes reference cholera to evoke historical catastrophe or the vulnerability of crowded cities. The disease symbolises sudden destruction, social panic, and the fragility of human life. Literary works dealing with urban poverty, colonial travel, or epidemics often mention cholera. Its presence in poetry reminds readers of the real medical dangers that shaped earlier societies.
Also Known As
Asiatic Cholera Epidemic Cholera
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