a progressive disease of the central nervous system marked by increasing lack of coordination and advancing to paralysis and death within a year of the appearance of symptoms; thought to have been transmitted by cannibalistic consumption of diseased brain tissue since the disease virtually disappeared when cannibalism was abandoned

中枢神経系の進行性疾患で、協調運動障害が徐々に進行し、麻痺や発症から一年以内に死亡に至る。感染した脳組織の食人によって伝染すると考えられており、食人が放棄されるとこの病気はほぼ消滅した。