The trembling hands symptom came to be known as the “Danbury Shakes” since so many people in the area showed signs of poisoning. Mercury poisoning, caused by the mercury in the vapors of the carroting solution, had a long list of symptoms, many involving the nervous system.ĭanbury, Connecticut was, during the 1800s, in the hat making capital of the world, producing five million hats in one year at the peak of the trend. What did Mad Hatters Disease look like though? Different methods for separating the animal fur from the skin became popular by the late 1800s and legal regulations were introduced in France 1898 to ban the use of mercury in hatmaking. In the United States, however, mercury was still being used until 1941. There is some evidence that the creation of hats was effecting the milliners, as evidenced by the use of the phrase “mad as a hatter,” but the practiced continued for, well, way too long. ![]() Since the effects of mercury poisoning were unknown, these milliners would often times work in enclosed spaces and wouldn’t wear protective equipment. Then the fur could be molded into the shape of a hat or brim. The mixture was orange, the process was called “carroting” and the mixture contain mercuric nitrate-i.e. When producing a top hat, a milliner would use a mixture to separate the fur from the skin and keep the hair together. In 18th and 19th century England mercury was used. Silk, linen and flannel were also used, especially as the trend spread to lower classes. Mad as a hatter Mad as a hatter is a colloquial phrase used in conversation to refer to a crazy person. (Fellow Canadians might know all about that beaver pelt fever, as it is a major part of Canadian history.) Rabbit hair was sometimes used as well. The best hats worn by those in the upper classes were made from felted beaver fur. Brummell is credited with several different men’s fashion, including the modern suit and necktie. Its popularity was probably helped along by Beau Brummell, friend and personal stylist to Prince George, the future George IV. These hats eventually went out of style, later reappearing as an early form of the top hat in the late 1700s. The Puritans were real big fans of the capotain, so much so that it became a symbol of Puritanism. The black hat with the belt buckle on the front? Yeah, that’s a capotain. The rim was also sometimes wider and less stiff than a top hat’s. Width and height varied with time but the vertical portion was usually more conical toward the top and the sides of the hat usually curved into the top, rather than ending at a sharp edge like the top hat we know today. The capotain, commonly worn by both men and women, was usually black. In the late 1500s in Europe, tall hats became the fashion. When I discovered that the disease actually related to hats, I got even more excited. ![]() The only Mad Hatter I was aware of until recently was the silly top hat-wearing gentleman in Alice in Wonderland. ![]() I’m a big fan of medical history so I was surprised when I heard the term “ Mad hatter disease” recently and I was unfamiliar with it.
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