Was the Mad Hatter Really Mad?

Although mercury may have been good for making felt, it turned out to be the cause of what became commonly known as the Hatter's Disease or mercury poisoning. What are the symptoms of mercury poisoning? Depression, mood swings, temper tantrums, loss of motor control, schizoid tendencies, and brain damage, just to name a few. In short, it causes one to appear quite "mad." No doubt making hats was considered to be a profession fraught with madness before medical science was able to determine the source of the problem. It was not until 1941 that the use of mercury was banned from the hat industry in the United States.

We can see from this evidence that the case for the Mad Hatter actually being mad is questionable. If he had been a real hatter, he most probably would have been suffering from mercury poisoning.

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