462 DISEASES OF STOCK IN LUMBWA DISTRICT 
fifth day, it recovers. It refuses to eat, and lies down. Swells 
at the ears on the second day. Hair rough. The grass in 
the third stomach is dry. There is water in the yotit 
(fourth stomach), red, and mixed with grass. Small ulcers 
in fourth stomach and gall-bladder, but not in the mouth. 
Very fatal, and contagious. Is a fairly modern disease. 
Cows in calf abort. There is no cure known. They used 
to bleed them, but have given it up. The meat can be eaten 
with impunity ; on the other hand, it has frequently been 
reported here that natives are suffering from kipkaita, and 
this has been ascribed to their eating diseased meat. As 
kijpkaita really means dysentery, it may probably be due to 
other causes. Game are said not to get it. Sheep get it 
from contact with diseased stock. Goats are immune. The 
disease is said to have appeared once, very long ago, and then 
disappeared. 
One old man in this district, when very closely questioned, 
admitted that a disease, a long time ago, before the arrival 
of the Europeans, had killed a lot of stock, buffaloes, and 
other game. It was the same as kijpkaita , but much more 
violent. It wiped out whole herds in one day. There was 
dysentery ; the gall-bladder swelled and was full of red water, 
and there was running from the eyes and nostrils. This 
disease he called kimuguse. 
Another old man told me the following tale, which may 
be of interest in this connection : — 
A very long time ago the Nandi went to fight, and on their 
way back, with much looted stock, they found a dead hippo 
on the road, covered with flies. These flies followed the cattle, 
and brought the disease into Nandi, from whence it spread 
elsewhere. This disease was also called kakatanet. It killed 
very many cattle. The sick animals did not waste away, but 
died after one day. The gall-bladder swelled. The stomach 
appeared healthy. Water came from the eyes and nose. 
There were sores on the lips, but not on the tongue. It was 
not like present day kakatanet. In the present day disease, 
the liquid from the gall-bladder goes back into the yotit 
(fourth stomach) and akutanik (small intestine ?). This disease 
killed game. 
