Cholera Transmission

This map, created by Dr. John C. Peters and featured in the April 25, 1885 edition of Harper's Weekly, depicts the spread of cholera throughout the world and the major cholera pandemics that occurred in the nineteenth century. Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The disease causes excessive water and electrolyte secretion, dehydration, and death in humans. The nineteenth century saw six cholera pandemics that killed millions of people around the world. The map highlights the role globalization played in the spread of cholera from India to other parts of the world as the major cholera routes illustrated by the map overlap with the main arteries of nineteenth century commerce.