Tsetse
the native name of Glossina morsitans, a dipterous insect, slightly larger than the house fly, from Africa, ranging from 18°-24° S. latitude. It is brown, with four yellow transverse bars on the abdomen, beyond which the wings project considerably. The head is armed with a proboscis adapted for piercing the skin, and the fly lives by sucking TSETSE FLY blood. At first no effect is perceived, but in a few days after an ox has been bitten, the eyes and nose begin to run, the coat bristles, a swelling appears under the jaw, and sometimes at the navel, emaciation and flaccidity of the muscles ensue, followed by purging, staggering, in some cases madness, and finally death.
On dissection the cellular tissue under the skin is found to be injected with air, as if a quantity of soap bubbles were scattered over it. See SLEEPING SICK NESS.