The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-04-07
The "Jumpers'' OF Maine.

DR.. George NJ. Beard, in paper read
before the American Neurological Asso-
citation, records some curious facts in re
gard to singular class of persons whom
he met in the region Of the Moosehead
Lake, Maine, and who are known in the
language of that region as Jumpers, " or
dumping Frenchmen." These indi-
viduals are afflicted with peculiar nerv.
GUS affection which manifests itself by
sudden and explosive movements of the
body under the influence eff external ex-
citation. by passive submission to Or
ders authoritatively given them, and by
an irresistible desire to initiate the action
of others. The person thus afflicted
jumps at the slightest sudden touch, and
when an order is given him in a loud,
quick tone he repeats the order and at
orce obeys. If, for instance, on the
shore of river he be ordered to jump
into the water, he exclaims Jump in, y
and at once executes the order. If he is
told to strike one of his companions he
exclaims, "Strike him." and the act fol-
lows the words.
DIR. Beard made the following expert
ments with one of these persons, who
was twenty years of age: While
sitting in q chair with knife in his
hand, about to cut some tobacco, this
man was struck sharply on the shoulder
and told to "throw it," Almost as quick
as the explosion of pistol the knife was
thrown and stuck in a beam opposite;
and at the same time he repeated the
order, ''Throw it" with certain cry Of
terror or alarm. A moment after, while
filling his pipe, he was again slapped on
the shoulder and told to "throw it."
Immediately he threw his pipe and to-
bacco on the grass, at least rod away,
and with the same suddenness and ex-
plosiveness of mover mt as before.
Whenever this man was struck quietly
and easily, and in such a way that he
could see that he was to be struck, he
made only a slight jump or movement;
but when the strike was unexpected he
could not restrain the jumping or jerk
ing motion, although the cry did not ap-
pear. Like experiments were made on
other individuals of different ages with
the exhibition of the same peculiar phe-
nomena.
DR.. Beard classes this dumping" as a
psychical or mental form of nervous dis
ease, of q functional character, its best
analogue being psychical or mental
hysteria-the sO-called ''servant.girl
hysteria," as known to us in modern
days, and as very widely known during
the epidemics of the Middle Ages. Like
mental or psychical hysteria, the jump
ing occurs not in the weak, or nervous,
or anemic but in those in firm and I'M
usual health, there are no stronger men
in tue woods, or anywhere, than some of
these very Jumpers. DR.. Beard re-
CARDS the disease as probably an evolu-
ton of tickling. Some, if not all, of the
Jumpers" are ticklish--cxceedingly so
and are easily irritated when
touched in sensitive parts of the body.
It would seem that in the evenings,
in the wood, after the days toll, in lieu
of most other sources of amusement, the
lumbermen have leased each other by
tickling and playing and startling timid
ones, until there has developed this
jumping, which, by mental contagion,
and by this practice, and by inheritance,
has ripened into the full stage of the
malady as it appears at the present hour.
The malady is fully as hereditary as in
sanity, or epilepsy, or hay fever. DR..
Beard in four families found fourteen
cases, and by the study Of these it was
possible to trace the disease back at least
half century. The malady seems to be
endemic, confined mainly to the north
woods of Maine and to persons Of French
descent. as it is psyco-contagious, that is,
can be caught by personal contact, like
chorea and hysteria.