Kuru (disease)

Kuru is a disease caused by cannibalism, formerly thought to be caused by specifically eating human brains, but is actually caused by eating any human meat. It is also known as the "laughing sickness" due to the pathologic bursts of laughter that the patient displays.
Kuru was found in Papua New Guinea, among members of the Fore tribe. The word "kuru" means "trembling with fear" in the Fore language.