Advanced cases developed hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms. Regionally, the " Danbury shakes " were a commonly recognized series of ailments. On December 1, the United States Public Health Service banned the use of mercury in the felt industry in this country.
Although it has been suggested that the expression ' mad as a hatter ' and the character portrayed in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland may have other origins other than mercurialism among hatters, few can resist making this apocryphal analogy. Danbury Connecticut has always been known as "The Hat City". It was the hat making capital of the world in the 19th century.
At the peak of the industry, five million hats a year were produced in 56 different factories in Danbury. A process called "carroting" was used in the production. Carroting involved washing animal furs with an orange-colored solution containing a mercury compound, mercury nitrate. The colorful solution facilitated the separation of the fur from the pelt and made it mat together smoothly. Workers would often be exposed to mercury vapors in the steamy air. Many hatters with long-term exposure, particularly those involved in carroting, got mercury poisoning.
Mercury poisoning attacks the nervous system, causing drooling, hair loss, uncontrollable muscle twitching, a lurching gait, and difficulties in talking and thinking clearly. Stumbling about in a confused state with slurred speech and trembling hands, affected hatters were sometimes mistaken for drunks.
The ailment became known as "The Danbury Shakes". In very severe cases, they experienced hallucinations. In any case, erethism is a rare disease.
At his trial, the Hatter explains to the King that he has no hats of his own because he sells all the hats he has. Which brings us to the last stop in our rabbit hole: What does mercury have to do with hats?
It's part of a process called " carroting. To get the fur off the skin cleanly, mercuric nitrate was used. It came to be known as carroting because the solution would turn the edges of the pelts orange as it dried. Modern haberdashers use hydrogen peroxide to remove the fur from the skin, which is a slower but much safer process. Apparently, Lewis Carroll didn't mean to slander hatters via his tea party host.
First, the phrase "Mad Hatter" never appears in the book; he's merely called the Hatter. It's other characters, like Alice and the Cheshire cat, who consider him mad. Second, Carroll responded to a query about the wordplay in his most famous work by saying, "I'm very much afraid I didn't mean anything but nonsense!
Sign up for our Newsletter! Their specific outlook depends on their level of mercury exposure. This includes exposure to broken items that have mercury, such as thermometers. Mad hatter disease is a form of chronic mercury poisoning. Depending on the level of exposure, it can cause symptoms like vomiting, skin rashes, tremors, twitching, and excitability.
They used mercury in the hat making process and developed mercury poisoning. Fortunately, hatters stopped using mercury in Mercury poisoning is reversible with proper treatment. This includes oxygen, bronchodilators, fluids, and medicine to help your body excrete mercury. Fish is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat, but some types of fish contain high levels of mercury. Does it mean you need to avoid all fish?
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Medically reviewed by Nancy Hammond, M. Mad hatter disease symptoms.
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