DR JOHN’S CASE NOTES : JUMPING BRIDGEMEN OF BAWTRY DISORDER

                                                                                                                                  A few years ago something very strange happened to the bridge players of Bawtry : a disorder not too dissimilar to what happened to the French-Canadians working as lumberjacks in Northern Maine around 1870. When startled, they would immediately jump up from their seats and wave their arms around in a frantic fashion, or behave in a rather bizarre and irrational  way. This latest phenomenon was therefore labelled the Jumping Bridgemen Of Bawtry disorder.

It may not be the weirdest mental disorder ever — there are way too many contenders for that title — but it's definitely got the weirdest name. The symptoms surrounding it are so strange that it could well have attained infamy even without such a bizarre moniker attached.

 

I first discovered this affliction when I attended  the Walnut Tree Allotment BC’s  2009 Spring Pairs competition . Every time I made a sudden move, such as moving my hand towards the bidding box, or slapping a card down on the table,  it was as though I had fired a gun ….. causing all hell to break loose.

As such, my research of the Jumping Bridgemen of Bawtry took over two years of my life. For there in the wilds of South Yorkshire I heard other tales of  incidents at other nearby clubs, which as strange as they were all happened to be true. When startled, the players would display exaggerated,  apparently reflexive reactions, which  included jumping, yelling, hitting, yelling commands, repeating back phrases even if they didn't understand the language used (a phenomenon known as echolalia), and imitating the movements of others around them (echopraxia).  But away from the tables the men were seen  to be shy, charming, very reserved and incredibly well mannered.

Having worked extensively with several subjects, who I refer  to as Jumpers, I was determined to find out as much about their condition as I could. Whether  this disorder was psychological or neurological  — or both — the only thing I could say with some certainty is that their reactions were involuntary.

The Startle Response

Sufferers would display the reflex response, possible putting ithemselves, their partners or the opponents at risk of physical injury.  The notion that sadomasochism might be involved when partners caught the brunt of their flailing arms was not the case. Clearly,  the uniform nature of the hits, and the fact that they were never tempered or moderated by conscious thought, argued strongly for these assaults being involuntary actions.

So what exactly causes this behaviour? In my view, it is the game of bridge itself.  Indeed, this cultural component, not only creates a hot house of emotion, but it also causes players to react to any unexpected,  provocative trigger no matter how small. As one colleague of mine  commented “ this disorder is a culturally specific exploitation of a universal neurophysiological response, namely the startle reflex", which is a particular artifact of " closed and aged communities such as bridge clubs."

Whatever the underlying cause, those who possess this rare disorder have a hyperactive startle response, meaning their brains' synaptic response to a sudden movements,  or off-the-cuff comments,  causes a cascade of reactions that go far beyond the sudden rush of adrenaline and quick, shudder-like motion most of us experience. There are a number of neural pathways involved in the startle response, and any one of them could be involved in the hyperactive responses observed in the Jumping Bridgemen.

 

So allow me to tell you about one incident involving an extreme jumper. Already unnerved by an opponent who had foolishing set out to needle him, the jumper over-reacted when another out-of-the-blue snide remark completely upset his equilibrium. In a flash , his startled reflex response involved picking up a bridgemate , arcing it across the table, and plonking it down in front of his tormentor. This automaton-like behaviour though was  unfortunately regarded as an  offensive and aggressive  act, which led to the poor man being expelled from the club. Strangely, no account of his condition was taken on board by the committee at his disciplinary hearing.   

But my diagnosis of the Jumping Bridgemen has been verified by medical reports of a similar disorder discovered in Eastern European bridge clubs . Known as miryachit,  which literally means "to act foolishly “, Players there , whenever startled, went into such fits of outlandish behaviour, needles and sedatives were often used to calm them down. 
  

It seems therefore that bridge players,  who are severely afflicted with this peculiar mental or nervous disease,  cannot stop themselves ( when startled ) over-reacting in a violent and physical way. On many occasions tables, chairs, bidding boxes, pens, boards and pint glasses have all been used as projectiles,  seen whizzing through the air at those responsible for causing these unfortunate outbursts .

Indeed, this disorder reflects a sad but general truth about bridge players. The Jumping Bridgemen of Bawtry, and related conditions like miryachit,  may be a very unusual condition with an uncertain origin…. but the Being-A-Total-Dick-To-People-With-this-Disorder disorder is  a far more frighteningly common one in the bizarre world of bridge.