Choleromania

/ˌkoʊlərəˈmeɪniə/ noun

Definition

An excessive fear or obsessive concern about contracting cholera; morbid preoccupation with the disease.

Etymology

From 'cholera' + Greek 'mania' (obsession, excessive enthusiasm), creating a medical term for pathological fear of the specific disease.

Kelly Says

During major cholera epidemics, especially in 1800s Europe, 'choleromania' was a real psychological condition—people became so terrified of catching the disease that anxiety itself made them sick!

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