At this point, most people have read or at least seen a film version of Alice in Wonderland . And if you are like many of the fans of the story, you probably like the Mad Hatter.
It is big enough after all. That said, the, crazy endearing disposition character really minimizes the dark origin of its name.
The term "mad hatter" was once used to describe the mental state of those who worked in the factories of hats, specifically in the city of Danbury, Connecticut .
New England Historical Society
During the early days of the industrial revolution, the toxic mercury nitrate is a key element in the manufacturing process hats.
New England Historical Society
of nowadays, you would need special equipment and training to handle the substance. Back in the 1800s, however, hatters handled mercuric nitrate with their bare hands for hours each day.
New England Historical Society
mercuric nitrate was part of the solution in which the skins of animals were rolled during process headgear. This crude chemical bath transformed into more durable, malleable sheets of felt, which were then shaped and hand sewn. Handling these chemicals all day quickly led to mercury poisoning in most factory workers. And Danbury, as the capital of headwear of America, soon had a huge health crisis on its hands.
Those suffering from mercury poisoning with symptoms such as drooling, pathological shyness, irritability, and tremors. Mercury poisoning was so common in Danbury that these side effects were called the Danbury shakes.
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Although hundreds people suffering in Danbury, greedy factory workers continued to expose people to the substance.
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Some symptoms of mercury poisoning are very similar to that of alcohol, which bosses exploited to time to avoid addressing the concerns of their workers.
Unfortunately, working conditions are not improved for factory workers until just before the Second World War.
New England Historical Society
In the late 1800s, hatters unionized and demanded better working conditions. Their case was heard twice by the Supreme Court, but lost both times. At the end of the Great Depression, the Danbury hat industry had almost dried up.
In 1941, the state of Connecticut finally banned mercury to be used in the production of hats. Although this was an important victory, the impact of the decision was minimal as there were only a handful of hat factories left in the state at that time. Today, there is not
So there you have it, people -. The origin of the strange nickname of Mad Hatter.
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(source: New England Historical Society )
Those poor people. Just think how awful it must have been to deal with this disease.
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