When you hear a name like 'Jumping Frenchman of Maine,' you might automatically think that there's some new entertainment coming to town in the form of dancers or perhaps a punk band from 'The County' is soon to arrive in Bangor at the waterfront venue. But actually, Jumping Frenchman of Maine is a bonafide illness.

In my studies and research on mental health, I came across an oddity of sorts that I have never heard of before, and I've lived in Maine all my life, and call Northern Maine my birthplace. Jumping Frenchman of Maine is a mental disorder that was penned by a neurologist by the name of George Miller Beard in the latter part of the 1800's. Apparently, it is genetic. In essence, Beard discovered that when some lumberjacks in the Moosehead Lake Region were startled, they would flail arms, jump, throw things, hit things, repeat what you say, and sometimes even do what you say. For instance, if you startled a lumberjack with the illness and said punch that guy, and if he was close enough, he would. It's true!

Someone even took the time to make a relatively short yet hokey video to explain things a bit further. You'll get the idea.

 

More From WQCB Brewer Maine