To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. What caused the Mad Hatter to go mad? Did he sniff the glue in the hat? Was it mercury poisoning? In a discussion of the recent Nicor debacle, the effects of mercury came up, namely that overexposure causes insanity. Can you straighten out this disagreement for us? Both mad, of course. But Lewis Carroll did not invent the phrase, although he did create the character.
The phrases "mad as a hatter" and "mad as a March hare" were common at the time Lewis Carroll wrote was the first publication date of Alice. The phrase had been in common use in , almost 30 years earlier. Carroll frequently used common expressions, songs, nursery rhymes, etc. The chemicals used in hat-making included mercurious nitrate, used in curing felt.
Prolonged exposure to the mercury vapors caused mercury poisoning. Advanced cases developed hallucinations and other psychotic symptoms. In the United States, hatmakers continued to use mercury until There are early and late symptoms of mercury poisoning, depending on the level of exposure.
Early symptoms of mercury poisoning may include :. Later symptoms of mercury poisoning may include :. The three most common sources of exposure to mercury are:. If a person has a cavity, a dentist may fill it with amalgam — a mixture of metals that contains mercury. However, the Food and Drug Administration FDA state that these types of fillings are safe, starting at 6 years of age.
Also, a person might be exposed to mercury through broken thermometers or blood pressure monitors. A person may also be exposed to mercury at work, such as in factories or workshops that produce batteries, lamps, or light bulbs. Volcanic activity can cause mercury to enter the water, where it becomes methylmercury, and contaminate fish.
It is possible to get mercury poisoning by eating contaminated fish. Tuna, swordfish, and shark are more likely than other varieties to contain high concentrations of mercury. To prevent mercury poisoning, fishing has been prohibited in more than 3, lakes in the U.
While, according to the WHO , everyone experiences some exposure to mercury, children may have an increased risk of inhaling mercury vapors. This is because crawling or playing on the floor can put them in close contact with mercury that has spilled from thermometers or other instruments. Also, a fetus may be exposed to mercury in the womb if the woman has consumed contaminated fish or shellfish. In addition, anyone who works in an environment that contains mercury has an increased risk of poisoning.
The main treatment for mercury poisoning involves preventing any further exposure and administering:. If there is a high amount of mercury in the blood and urine, the doctor may also administer drugs called chelating agents, which help the body pass more of the metal in the urine.
The most common chelating agents are:. According to a article , the neurological symptoms of mercury poisoning are reversible once the metal has been cleared from the body. If a person does not receive this treatment, however, they are at risk of:.
Anyone who believes that they may have been exposed to mercury, including as a vapor, should contact a doctor. In the U. On April 26, the soldiers surrounded Booth in a Virginia barn; however, Corbett disobeyed orders to capture the fugitive alive and instead shot and killed him. Eventually, he resumed working in the hat industry in the Northeast before moving to Kansas in , where he lived a solitary existence as a homesteader. In , he landed in a mental asylum after threatening a group of people at the Kansas Statehouse with a gun.
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