 the jumping frenchmen of maine were a group of 19th-century lumberjacks who exhibited a rare disorder of unknown origin. the syndrome entails an exaggerated startle reflex  which may be described as an uncontrollable "jump"; individuals with this condition can exhibit sudden movements in all parts of the body. jumping frenchmen syndrome shares symptoms with other startle disorders. individuals with this condition were first found in the northern regions of maine,  and were first described by george miller beard in 1878. ==signs and symptoms== george miller beard recorded individuals who would obey any command given suddenly, even if it meant striking a loved one; the jumping frenchmen seemed to react abnormally to sudden stimuli. the more common and less intense symptoms consist of jumping, yelling, and hitting. these individuals exhibited outrageous bursts, and many described themselves as ticklish and shy. other cases involved echolalia (repeating vocalizations made by another person) and echopraxia (repeating movements made by another person).    beard noted that the men were "suggestible" and that they "could not help repeating the word or sounds that came from the person that ordered them any more than they could help striking, dropping, throwing, jumping or starting." ==causes== the cause of jumping frenchmen syndrome is unknown.nord one theory is that it is a genetic condition. {{cite journal |author=lanska dj |title=classic articles of 19th-century am
Culture-bound_syndromes Mental_and_behavioural_disorders