Love in the Time of Cholera the reader is reminded repeatedly of his more sinister exploits. The novel examines romantic love in myriad forms, both "ideal" and "depraved", and continually forces the reader to question such ready-made characterizations by introducing elements antithetical to these facile judgments. García Márquez's main notion is that lovesickness is literally an illness, a disease comparable to cholera. Florentino suffers from this just as he might suffer from any malady. At one point, he conflates his physical pain with his amorous pain when he vomits after eating flowers in order to imbibe Fermina's scent. In the final chapter, the Captain's declaration of
Cholera Hospital nearly 5,000 reported in 1849. Dr. Valey and Dr. Gull, who treated New York City cholera patients at this time, reported that cholera was only contagious when persons came in contact with those who are sick already. They believed that the disease was transmitted when people breathed the air which cholera victims exhaled. The physicians recommended an airy environment for those suffering from the illness. Victims should be kept away from marshes, garbage, and dirty water. They recommended the ill be quarantined at Cholera Hospital. It was selected by the New York City Board of Health to provide the care