Jumping Frenchmen Of Maine Syndrome

Jumping Frenchmen of MaineSyndrome was a phenomenon seen in the 1870s when French-Canadian lumberjacks in North Maine displayed strange startling reflexes: jumping in the air, yelling, hitting, imitating those around them, and obeying any command.

This condition was first described in 1878 by George Miller Beard, an American neurologist.

There were several theories which sought to explain the syndrome; one of them was genetics as it was concentrated in Maine’s northern regions and that 14 cases were found in four families. It is also possible that it was a formed habit or culture-bound since most of those who were affected were lumberjacks who live in a small community. Moreover, one theory proposes that the “jumpers” may have been reinforced by the sudden attention. In actuality, there haven't been any additional accounts of this syndrome reported since this one cluster of victims.