The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine

Right from the very first episode when it mentioned Tmesis (where one word, often an expletive, is inserted in another word eg, abso-f*cking-lutely) the comedy quiz QI has never ceased to entertain and inform me. If it hadn’t been for QI I may never have found out about Thomas Midgely Jr or the fact that the Number of the Beast is in fact 616. Last night there was a question about fainting goats - oh what the hell, here’s the footage of some fainting goats I posted last year:

The goats suffer from a genetic condition called myotonia congenita which makes them appear to faint when stressed. As part of the explanation of the condition there was mention of a similar condition in humans called the Jumping Frenchmen of Maine.... The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine? I had a mental picture of legions of Bips leaping into the air in north eastern USA.

In fact the Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a disorder that was first described by GM Beard who, in 1878, noticed an exaggerated "startle" reflex among French-Canadian lumberjacks in Maine. An event which might startle a normal person would cause an extended and exaggerated response in sufferers including crying out, flailing limbs, twitching, and sometimes convulsions. The sufferers also have an automatic reflex to obey any order that is delivered suddenly. They will often display echolalia, repeating the order. These features were described by Beard as follows:

“One of the jumpers while sitting in his chair with a knife in his hand was told to throw it, and he threw it quickly, so that it struck in a beam opposite; at the same time he repeated the order to throw it…. When the commands are uttered in a quick loud voice the jumper repeats the order. When told to strike, he strikes, when told to throw it, he throws it, whatever he has in his hands…. “

The disorder is related to conditions seen elsewhere in the world; including Latah (whose sufferers display very similar symptoms). They all appear to be related to Hyperekplexia which is believed to be caused by a genetic mutation which prevents neurons from receiving the amino acid Glycine which acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the Central Nervous System. It prevents the central nervous system from overreacting to stimuli. However there is still debate about the cause the Jumping Frenchmen condition: some researchers believe that the disorder is psychological rather than neurological.

And who says television rots the brain!