Mad Hatters - What made them Mad? | History Documentary | Professor Graeme Yorston

What was it that made 'Mad Hatters', mad, exactly?
In this video I explore the historical background to Mad Hatters.

We are probably all familiar with Louis Carroll’s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and the various film and TV versions of this eccentric character, but what is the historical basis for all of this? Was it mercury poisoning from the processing of furs that made hat makers mad, or was it something much more commonplace?

I will describe the medical use of mercury from ancient China and India through to its introduction in Europe as a cure for syphilis. I will describe the horrific effects of methylmercury poisoning from chemical pollution in Japan which caused the mysterious Minamata Disease.
I will also introduce some of the alternative theories of the origins of “mad as a hatter” from linguistic studies.

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Academic References:
Abramowitz EW (1934): Historical Points of Interest on the Mode of Action and Ill Effects of Mercury. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 10(12), 695.
Almquist, J (1929) Some notes on the history of mercury intoxication. Acta. Med. Scand. 70: 464-476.
Heal C (2013). Alcohol, Madness and a Glimmer of Anthrax: Disease among the Felt Hatters in the Nineteenth Century. Textile History, 44(1), 95-119.
Kishi R et al. (1993) Subjective symptoms and neurobehavioral performances of ex-mercury miners at an average of 18 years after the cessation of chronic exposure to mercury vapor. Environ Res., 62, 289-302.
O'Carroll, R. E., Masterton, G., Dougall, N., Ebmeier, K. P., & Goodwin, G. M. (1995). The neuropsychiatric sequelae of mercury poisoning: the Mad Hatter's disease revisited. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 167(1), 95-98.
Oke W S (1856): Mercurial ptyalism and erethism. Association Medical Journal, 4(201), 952.
Reitz J (1829): Ueber die Giftigen Hutmacherbeizen und deren Nachtheiligen Einfluss auf die Gesundheit. Zeitschrift fur die Staatsarzneikunde, 1829, p. 381.
Spalding K (1951). A Theory concerning the" Mad Hatter". The Modern Language Review, 46(3/4), 442-444.
Tenon J‑R (1806): Mémoire sur les causes de quelques maladies qui affectent les chapeliers. Mémoires de l’Institut de France‑Sciences Physiques et Mathématiques, Paris, Baudouin.
Ulrich von Hutten (1519) De Guaiaci Medicine et Morbo Gallico.
Waldron HA (1983). Did the Mad Hatter have mercury poisoning?. British Medical Journal, 287, 1961.
Wedeen RP (1989). Were the hatters of New Jersey “mad”?. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 16(2), 225-233.

Images
Wikimedia Commons
Wellcome Collection
Science Museum
Public Domain or used on Fair Use basis for education purpose

Music
Beethoven: String Quartet No 8: Pascal Quartet CC3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Schubert Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major: Jascha Heifetz, Emanuel Feuermann, Artur Rubinstein. 1941 Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Satie Gnossienne 3 La Pianista. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Copyright Disclaimer
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.

Video produced by Professor Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston.