Throughout this paper I shall use "affective hypertonia" as a designation for paroxysmal hypertonia occurring in response to sudden strong affect. While affectivehypotonia, or cataplexy, is well known, a survey of the literature shows that affectivehypertoniahas received scant attention. I shall describe the phenomenon as it occurs in man and in certain lower animals and shall state the conclusions that seem, at the present time, deducible regarding its pathogenesis. In affective hypertonia, as in cataplexy, consciousness is unimpaired. THE PHENOMENON IN LOWER ANIMALS OBSERVATIONS ON GOATS The most striking occurrence of affective hypertonia is in a breed of goats found in certain parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Texas. My attention was drawn to them by a reference in an article on Alabama by Simpich.1Mr. R. J. Goode, of Alabama, the owner of the goats referred to in the aforementioned article, generously supplied me with