Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
- Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
Infobox_Disease
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Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a rare disorder originally described by George Miller Beard in 1878. [Beard G. Remarks upon jumpers or jumping Frenchmen. J Nerv Ment Dis 1878;5: 526.] [Beard G. Experiments with the jumpers of Maine. Pop Sci Monthly (NY) 1880;18: 170-178.]
Presentation
It results in an exaggerated "startle" reflex, [cite journal | author = Howard R, Ford R | title = From the jumping Frenchmen of Maine to post-traumatic stress disorder: the startle response in neuropsychiatry | journal = Psychol Med | volume = 22 | issue = 3 | pages = 695–707 | year = 1992 | pmid = 1410093] and was first noted among related French-Canadian lumberjacks in the Moosehead Lake area of Maine. It is not clear if the disorder is neurological or psychological.
The "Jumping Frenchmen" seemed to react abnormally to sudden stimuli. Beard recorded, for instance, individuals who would obey any command given suddenly, even if it meant striking a loved one, and repeat back unfamiliar or foreign phrases uncontrollably. Beard also noticed that the condition was often shared within a family, suggesting that it was inherited.
Historical significance
The interest sparked by Beard's publication about the disorder inspired Georges Gilles de la Tourette to investigate what later became known as Tourette's syndrome. Further studies of the condition in the 1980s, however, cast doubt on whether the "Jumping Frenchmen" phenomenon was in fact a physical condition like Tourette's. Documentation of direct observation of "Jumping Frenchmen" has been scarce, and while videotape evidence was recorded by several researchers that showed the condition to be real, Saint-Hilaire concluded from studying eight affected people that it was brought on by conditions at their lumber camps and was psychological, not neurological. [cite journal | author = Saint-Hilaire M, Saint-Hilaire J, Granger L | title = Jumping Frenchmen of Maine | journal = Neurology | volume = 36 | issue = 9 | pages = 1269–71 | year = 1986 | pmid = 3528919]
ee also
* Latah
* Hyperekplexia
References
External links
* [http://www.rarediseases.org/search/rdbdetail_abstract.html?disname=Jumping%20Frenchmen%20of%20Maine NORD]
* [http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p011163.html Introduction to Culture-Bound Syndromes] , by Ronald C. Simons, Psychiatric Times, November 2001, Vol. XVIII, Issue 11
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