Mad Hatters - What really made them Mad? | History Documentary
Рет қаралды 166,903
Күн бұрынMad 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.
I hope you enjoy the video - if you do please like or comment and subscribe to get notifications of new videos as they are posted.
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.
@MegaMemimo 10 ай бұрын
What an excellent, well-referenced, and concise overview!
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@ColonelFredPuntridge 11 ай бұрын
A piece of graffiti found on an out-house wall in England, from the 1700s: "One night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury."
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Very true.
@danceswithtallcans7694 10 ай бұрын
Sorry I’m stupid, what’s that mean?
@danceswithtallcans7694 10 ай бұрын
Never mind, I just looked it up… hilarious 😆
@ColonelFredPuntridge 10 ай бұрын
@@danceswithtallcans7694 The book to get is *Encyclopedia of Graffiti* published in 1974 by Robert George Reisner and Lorraine Wechsler. They basically drove cross-country a few times at different latitudes writing down all the graffiti they saw on bathroom walls at gas stations and in public parks.
@badcommentbot8349 4 ай бұрын
Liar!
@victoriacooke5878 Жыл бұрын
I appreciate you taking the time to make this information available to us. You have a lovely voice, and the details of the information are wonderful. Thank you.
@professorgraemeyorston Жыл бұрын
My pleasure, thank you.
@1967_RS-SS 10 ай бұрын
I had a 3rd great grandfather who was a hatter in Danbury, CT, later Louisville, KY. He died at age 46 and I always wondered if it was in some way due to his occupation. Thanks for the video.
@sweetdrahthaar7951 10 ай бұрын
I owned a neon plant for several years and considering that mercury was used in the bombarding process while creating the blue tone tubes, it was always a concern for the benders to not get contaminated with mercury. One tube bender that worked for me was a bit of a hypochondriac and was constantly worried about contamination and having blood work done due to his paranoia.
@fcknmark 7 ай бұрын
Trust me he wasn’t crazy. You guys shape the craziest people when in reality they’re getting messed up by something you can’t relate to
@marlenebraxton7711 2 жыл бұрын
Loved this video! Thank you for feeding my curiosity and passion for history in such a qualitative and entertaining way. i knew about the mecury-hat maker connection. It was the extent of the misguided mercury treatment for syphilis that blew my mind!
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Marlene, glad you enjoyed it.
@davidhollenshead4892 11 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston "Christopher Columbus" DIDN'T "bring Syphilis from the Americas." There are bodies found in the UK with damage from Syphilis that predate the birth of Mr. Columbus...
@janeepooley Жыл бұрын
Thank you. I have just discovered your videos and am enjoying them!
@professorgraemeyorston Жыл бұрын
Welcome!
@OzSteve9801 11 ай бұрын
Australia has dozens of "mad as ... " sayings. I'm glad to see a few on your list. My mother's favourite was mad as a cut snake.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Nice one!
@indigocheetah4172 10 ай бұрын
@OzSteve, as an Aussie , I noticed several ; 'as mad as a dingbat. That is an Australian slang I'm pretty sure .
@OzSteve9801 10 ай бұрын
@indigocheetah4172 Yes. Sometimes a person acting crazy is called a dingbat.
@saxongreen78 9 ай бұрын
"Meataxe" is my favourite!
@badcommentbot8349 4 ай бұрын
Mad as a big stinky fart😂
@stevehoward9499 2 жыл бұрын
Very interesting as always Graeme.....
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you kindly, from one Prof to another!
@wandamaddox7824 11 ай бұрын
Very informative and calming. it's nice to know people like you still exist. Thank you!
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
I appreciate that!
@dennissantana3722 11 ай бұрын
Very good, enjoyed it .
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Many thanks!
@paulstan2449 11 ай бұрын
Very nice little romp through an interesting subject! Thanks so much.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Glad you liked it!
@rezzer7918 10 ай бұрын
Really rather interesting! Wonderful accompanying images. *Thank you* !
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
@catherinejohnson2235 2 жыл бұрын
Hooray!! You are back! Can't get enough of your erudite, calm, thoughtful videos. I think you truly know everything! Thank you!
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Catherine, really appreciate your enthusiasm! :)
@karenjarrett8904 2 жыл бұрын
There my day has not been wasted, for I have learned that mad as a hatter did not mean crazy. Thank you Graeme I enjoy your channel very much.
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Karen, glad you enjoyed it. :)
@charlesachurch7265 11 ай бұрын
Fascinating presentation thanks xxx.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@tashdegraciafitness 2 жыл бұрын
This is very interesting 🧐 Really enjoyed this one!
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you Tash, Glad you found it interesting.
@jerrybaird2059 11 ай бұрын
Excellent video. Professor Yorktown produces exactly the sort of visual essays, to coin a phrase, that should be followed,
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@glenngilbert7389 10 ай бұрын
What an amazing insight - thank you.
@johnbroadway4196 11 ай бұрын
Fascinating. Very informative. Thank you.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
My pleasure, thank you.
@maverick1484 11 ай бұрын
I didn't know they used mercury in hat production but I do know they used lead (its what kept the high top hat and rim stiff) and always thought it was lead poisoning that made hatters mad.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Lead is another toxic substance that can cause all sorts of neuropsychiatric symptoms.
@oakfat5178 10 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Heavy metal poisonings a risk working with lead, mercury etc.
@nonaknight9491 10 ай бұрын
Maverick, I always though lead until today. So once more I continue to learn, Mercury NOT Lead.
@christopherbouman160 8 ай бұрын
They were experimenting with wireless electricity back then. Tartaria had it. The downside is mk ultra mind control using sound waves causing demons to enter people. People went crazy killing each other. The people wore leaded hats to stop it. Even babies wore hats. Now they make fun of people calling them tin hat wearers to discredit this practice . 5g is a weapon. Once you realize that our history is all a lie it makes more sense especially including the character in Alice in wonderland a freemasonic film.
@badcommentbot8349 4 ай бұрын
Wrong !
@Sorchia56 10 ай бұрын
This just popped on my recommended page and I’m so pleased it did! Subbed straightaway. Brilliant video. We grew up saying ‘mad as an old wet hen’, ‘mad as a daft nutter’, etc. 😂😂 Cheers again for the brilliant video and photos as well. It’s daft o’clock here in Ireland but I’m learning new things with my insomnia! 😊
@johnisles2163 2 жыл бұрын
Hi Greame, again super video and well resurched. My cricket/ football friends used to call me the Mad Baker as my work ethic getting up so early in the morning but still drinking and partying to the early hours with them. 😅😅
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks John, hopefully you didn't put any mercury in your cakes!
@johnisles2163 2 жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston some sherry, Rum y malt. You should have tasted it. Put loads in yer wedding cake. 😂😂😂🤔
@esthersheridan1693 11 ай бұрын
Really enjoyed this, thank you so much- I love your calm, succinct style, and that it wasn’t what we were expecting!
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@butterflyyube 10 ай бұрын
Very interesting. Thank you. 🙂
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
My pleasure!
@keithrobertson9075 11 ай бұрын
Very interesting! Thank you
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@aldenconsolver3428 10 ай бұрын
Keep up the excellent work
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Thanks, will do!
@JustWasted3HoursHere 11 ай бұрын
It's amazing that human beings have made it this far considering how utterly ignorant we were in matters of health for thousands of years.
@h.a.9880 10 ай бұрын
Something about the Minamata-disease that's utterly horrifying: The company (Chisso) responsible for polluting the bay was actually aware of the effect their methylmercury polluted wastewater had on the people of Minamata. The company did its best to interfere with official investigations into the causes of the Minamata disease, refused to help or to give access to crucial information regarding Chisso's methods in producing chemicals. When the investigation found insane amounts of methylmercury in and around the wastewater canal, Chisso was quick to react though: They re-routed their wastewater into another river, so it would not spill into the bay where the investigation took place and instead caused an even bigger epidemic of the Minamata disease in other places. I shit you not, these people *knew* they were releasing lethal doses of toxic waste into the world and caused thousands to suffer from being poisoned, and in order to conceal this, they decided to _poison even more people._
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Wow, I didn't know that!
@HobbyOrganist 10 ай бұрын
That's usually an American corporate thing, look up what W.R. Grace did in regards to their Libbye Mt vermiculite mine, they knew for DECADES that their vermiculite and mine were contaminated by the most deadly form of asbestos known, and they deliberately kept it quiet, company doctors were ordered to tell workers that their breathing and lung problems were heart disease. Workers took home work clothes on their bodies full of dust in their vehicles and homes where the wife washed the clothes with the rest of the family laundry. The local school's running track was covered with tailings from the mine, people were allowed to take all the waste tailings home for gardens and walkways that they wanted for free to use like a kind of gravel. As a result the entire town was contaminated, rail cars, trucks and hardware stores where the vermiculite ATTIC INSULATION was sold to people to dump in their attics- were all contaminated, the product was packaged in paper sacks and sold all over the US and elsewhere. As a result some 80 MILLION attics to this day are contaminated with this "Zonolite" brand vermiculite attic insulation. So what did Grace Co DO when the first lawsuits started? why, they filed for bankruptcy of course! re-organised as a "new" company and they are STILL in business to-day! Half the residents in Libby Mt died of asbestosis related lung diseases and so forth. Theres a youtube film showing the plant manager in court being questioned on if the company KNEW their prouct was ccontaminated by deadly asbestos, and that asbestos causes lung cancer? YES sir, was the answer after a long awkward pause. I have a clip of that somewhere in my youtube video list, so outrageous seeing that prik sit there nonchalantly telling the lawyer that YES, they knew, and NOPE, they didn't tell the employees or anyone else.
@HobbyOrganist 10 ай бұрын
If you look at some of the chemical safety board's (USCSB) videos they dissect where things went wrong and why, I watched a video last night they had up "Runaway: Explosion at T2 Laboratories" On December 19, 2007, a runaway chemical reaction during the production of a gasoline additive destroyed T2 Laboratories in Jacksonville, Florida, killing four people and injuring 32 others. The blast, equivalent to about 1400 pounds of TNT, damaged buildings and injured office workers hundreds of feet away." and it was sickening how this chemical company was producing some highly reactive gasoline additive chemical, they explained the company experimented with a one liter reactor process and it worked, so they scaled it up to 2500 liters in a big tank, that worked BUT they occasionally had unexplained cooling problems but never bothered to investigate WHY or correct it... so they expanded the size by another third and it turned out they were using a simple city water connection for the cooling process. The process involved some super toxic highly reactive chemicals that were mixed in the tank which was initially heated to start the reaction, once the reaction started the heat was turned off as the reaction generated it's own heat. The day of the explosion the reaction got out of hand and the investigators think a vave was stuck or the water pipe clogged, but ayway, the reaction got out of control and heat and pressure expanded rapidly. A co-owner, owner and some employees were there, and the co-owner and control room guy were trying to figure out what to DO, the tank exploded in what they estimated was about 1400 tons worth of TNT force, the co-owner and control room guy were killed the explosion destroyed nearby buildings, sent pieces of steel and everything way out in all directions. It's astounding to me a plant like that could legally operate in a city with buildings and homes nearby!
@pandabear1341 10 ай бұрын
Sadly, same as it ever was...
@bajoobiecuzican 11 ай бұрын
Very informative ❤
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you
@Kitsambler 11 ай бұрын
Well done!
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
My pleasure.
@nozrep 11 ай бұрын
yes i learned something in this video! Fascinating!
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@johnlynch-kv8mz 10 ай бұрын
Thank you so much ,
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
My pleasure.
@martin38529 2 жыл бұрын
Another great video. Looks like 'mad as' can be applied to almost anything. And 2 litres of saliva, makes me feel queasy thinking about it. Keep up the great work.
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Martin, it's not clear what they did with the gallons of saliva if there were all locked up in a heated room!
@dukecraig2402 11 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Speaking of gallons of saliva here's a joke for you; Back in the old west some guys were gambling when one of them ran out of money, another fella who was sitting at the table and who was an ornery and opportunistic kind of guy told him that he'd give him $20 if he'd go over and take a drink out of the spittoon, this was a lot of money in the old west especially when you consider that the game was only a 25 cent ante, the guy who'd run out of money really wanted to keep playing and felt like it was time for his luck to change, looking at the guy who made him the offer and all the money sitting in front of him from cleaning out all the players decided what the heck, one drink was worth the $20 especially since it meant staying in the game and giving him the chance to win all that money in front of the guy. So he goes over and grabs the spittoon and gulp..gulp..gulp..gulp downs the whole thing without stopping, when he sat the spittoon down and turned around the guy who gave him the offer, and everyone else, was sitting there at the table with their jaws hanging wide open when the guy says "Partner, you didn't have to drink the whole thing!!! One drink would have done." And the guy replied "I couldn't stop, it was all connected".
@nonaknight9491 10 ай бұрын
Nothing can be as Mad as what the School Teachers are filling this generations children’s heads with🤬 Unacceptable Trans rubbish. Kids should NOT be CULT-ured
@juliegale3863 11 ай бұрын
My great grandfather was a hatter who owned 6 hat shops in London, middle to late 1800s. We always said in the family that he was mad as he got religion, gradually sold up his shops and gave the money to the denomination he supported. Anyway by my father’s time all the considerable money had gone and as my cousin said, would there have been any left for our generation, not on your life.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Interesting - was it the mercury, or did he just have a revelation?
@juliegale3863 11 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston He was with the General next to God.
@geraldfriend256 11 ай бұрын
@@juliegale3863 Ole lefty? That fallen angel, is that the subtext or….??
@jdurao6112 10 ай бұрын
My mom use mecuricome on my cuts and scrapes when I was a child. I still remember how it burned
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Oh gosh, I remember that too!
@susellis493 2 жыл бұрын
I learned a lot from this video and I love that it wasn't what I expected, thank you!
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks SusAnne, I was surprised too, I thought it was mercury before I started looking into it more closely.
@susellis493 2 жыл бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston It's so interesting too about the 'madness'. It's really a perfect topic for your mental health in history series. *Hatter* : "Who are you calling 'mad'? We just enjoy a good time!".
@sgrant39 10 ай бұрын
Welll done. And good on the Orange NJ doctor for first and very detailed report on occupational illness
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@ffbruce4213 11 ай бұрын
Well done
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@fraa888grindr6 11 ай бұрын
Thoroughly enjoyable! A surprisingly well-rounded and honest examination of the topic. Too often such material is presented with a definitive yet erroneous explanation, but you've managed to steer clear of that pitfall altogether and simply present a wealth of historical data. Most excellent!
@jarikinnunen1718 10 ай бұрын
Words have roots. They not come nowhere. You style is good.
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@geralynpinto5971 11 ай бұрын
I also understood that mercury poisoning caused hatters to have strange, twisted faces. Is that true? I did know from my brother who is a doctor about mercury having been used to treat syphilis in centuries gone by. He told me that the joke among medieval physicians was, "One night with Venus and the rest of your life with mercury." However, I too laboured under the mistaken notion that mercury poisoning was responsible for 'madness' in hatters, when the actual condition they suffered from was neurological in nature. I didn't know that their peculiar behaviour was more to do with the alcohol they consumed. Thank you for an absorbing video. Very interesting and informative. I look forward to many more.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you, there are over 100 others to choose from!
@ColonelFredPuntridge 10 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston My bet would be that both are correct: "mad as an adder" accounts for some instances of "mad has a hatter", and mercury poisoning accounts for other cases. A terrific short story to read is the chapter "Lead" in Primo Levi's book _The Periodic Table._
@wendyshanahan9986 2 жыл бұрын
Ver interesting indeed
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Wendy, glad you enjoyed it. :)
@pvlifestylefitness 2 жыл бұрын
Great video Sir 👍 new friend here 👍 Thank you for sharing 👍
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks and welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
@lyedavide 11 ай бұрын
Very interesting treatise on the phrase and the industry that caused so much damage to those who worked as hatters.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@kentlofgren 10 ай бұрын
Unfortunately, hat makers who worked with mercury often suffered from mercury poisoning due to prolonged exposure to the toxic substance. Mercury vapor is particularly dangerous when inhaled, leading to neurological symptoms and mental health issues.
@spacemissing 11 ай бұрын
This is SO much like a filmstrip narration from the 1960s...
@juliemurphy5934 11 ай бұрын
How sad for me. I shan't use the phrase anymore. Thank you for enlightening me.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@localcrew 10 ай бұрын
Wow. I’m glad that I didn’t have syphillis in the 1700s. Just subscribed!
@johncitizen3361 11 ай бұрын
Interesting video thanks. It reminded me of playing with mercury as a child. My junior school had its own dental clinic in the late 1970s when they were still using dental amalgam for fillings. In an attempt to alleviate fears kids had of visiting the clinic they came around the classrooms handing out toothbrushes etc. I remember them pouring about 30ml of mercury into a metal dish and letting us play with it, we were poking it with our fingers fascinated by its properties. I think they told us to wash our hands afterwards but I can’t imagine them letting kids do that these days let alone doing dental work on them without informing the parents first 😂
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you, I too can remember playing with mercury in the palm of my hand!
@rezzer7918 10 ай бұрын
CAL OSHA says the max allowable concentration of elemental mercury vapor in air that you can safely breathe during an 8 hr work shift is 0.025 mg Hg/m3 air (similarly 0.02 mg/m3 in the UK; Health Safety Executive) ...which is *A LOT* actually, compared to the much lower exposure limits set for many other industrial air contaminants. So..😏 don't lose too much sleep about having played with mercury once or twice as a kid.
@nonaknight9491 10 ай бұрын
I was also allowed to play with mercury (from a thermometer) But I was told not to touch it so I used a match-stick to poke it and swing it around a grooved circular wooden Marble Game board and watch it join up again. Not many toys during the 1940s
@tunahxushi4669 11 ай бұрын
Excellent presentation, Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorites... I always was convinced that mercury made Hatters insane. It was wonderful to get the full story. Wonderful job thank you.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
My pleasure.
@StevieB_Slowbart 11 ай бұрын
Ha. Mad as a gum tree full of galahs cracks me up. Having witnessed this scene of pandemonium many times I can only agree. Ps. cockatoos also.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Good ones!
@voyaristika5673 10 ай бұрын
News to me! I thought til now mercury made hatters mad (crazy.) I enjoy your well presented videos very much, especially the history of any area of medicine.
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@jamesyorston2385 2 жыл бұрын
Fascinating. Everyone talks about mercury poisoning making hatters mad, but now we know the real story.
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thank you James
@diGritz1 11 ай бұрын
The use of mercury is disturbing. It makes one wish to go back in time and ask them WTH are you doing? That's a terrible idea, it's poisonous to humans. It's insanity to think, after you told them, they would respond with, "yeah we know".
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
We humans are quite prone to our poisons!
@iainbrown9921 11 ай бұрын
I had a cousin in Orange New Jersey back in the 19th century who was a hatter... And yes... He went mad. That was the local where the first study of Mad Hatters disease was done.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Interesting.
@oakfat5178 10 ай бұрын
I experienced alumin(i)um poisoning, one of the main symptoms was described as acute or subacute variation in mental status" which I took to mean "You could go a bit loopy until it wears off" It wasn't a controlled experiment, so many other factors could have influenced my mental health. The first half-life is over this year, and recovery seems good. The other major symptom is "variable cell membrane permeability" of which I'll just say alcohol, BBB, :-( Up to 35 SUs/day, zero return on investment. However, in those quantities, my GI tract regularly found that alcohol no longer sparked joy.
@nonaknight9491 10 ай бұрын
Thank you proff’. As a WW2🌎 war baby I live about 50 miles from Luton. So I have always known about the ‘Mad Hatters’ because of the Felt Hat trade. In 1940s My mum use to take me to Jumble sales to buy old Felt hats, then my dad would steam them flat. Mum then made them into Slippers as we couldn’t buy much during the 2nd🌎War, Coupons and such.
@wendellmarthers3519 10 ай бұрын
Elton John has a song called "Mona lisa and Mad Hatters" and I've always wondered what made them mad
@jennklein1917 Жыл бұрын
Have heard this! Many of our antiquated methods were deadly!!
@professorgraemeyorston Жыл бұрын
So many industries were full of toxic substances.
@charliesilverman1132 11 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston still are.
@patriciajrs46 10 ай бұрын
The old practices of medicinal cures is seriously scary. Many of those things worry me because as you said it could be in fish and bread flour. Sad.
@rickmiller8893 11 ай бұрын
Oh..he achieved immortality alright.
@poponachtschnecke 11 ай бұрын
What really made them mad was when the apprentices didn't clean up at night.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
You may be right!
@geraldfriend256 11 ай бұрын
Furious
@sifridbassoon 10 ай бұрын
I remember the Minimata outbreak
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
I have since read that the factory knew exactly what was going on but covered it up.
@Pocketfarmer1 11 ай бұрын
11:22 slight error: piper has been an occupational. Beetle could have been an occupation as well, having been slang for a jailer.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@Garbeaux. Жыл бұрын
I’ve heard of people even recently getting mercury poisoning from eating too much raw sushi.
@professorgraemeyorston Жыл бұрын
It is a theoretical risk and heavy metal contamination of fish is monitored in many countries, but I couldn't find any medical references to cases of people being actually poisoned outside minamata bay and other known contamination sites.
@geraldfriend256 11 ай бұрын
Indeed I have heard anecdotal evidence especially heavy tuna eaters
@niklet9246 9 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Mercury Amalgam fillings are poisoning people today. Please read the work of Dr. Andrew Cutler, PhD.
@jeremyashford2115 11 ай бұрын
The price ticket on Tenniel‘s illustration of the Hatter would suggest that the character, at least as illustrated, was based on the tale of the ebullient milliner.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
He was indeed.
@geraldfriend256 11 ай бұрын
Would that be Chaucer?
@dipling.pitzler7650 11 ай бұрын
The 1971 poisoning in Iraq was actually caused by corruption as amounts of treated imported seeds meant strictly for sowing were sold to bakeries , and as it was impossible to track down these poisonous batches all bakeries had to close and people started to bake bread at home instead, the situation was resolved after months of research and tracking by the authorities.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Very interesting, thank you.
@badcommentbot8349 4 ай бұрын
Fake news
@ColonelFredPuntridge 11 ай бұрын
Interesting! But Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter isn't a manic or raving or irrational character. He's just a bit impatient, and he has some not-very-sensible eating habits, like sitting at a big round table and moving one place to the right with the Dormouse and the March Hare when he wants to eat from a fresh plate and drink from a fresh cup - not very sensible in the long-term, but not raving mad or manic either.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you, the portrayal of "madness" in art and literature is a huge topic in itself.
@ColonelFredPuntridge 11 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston Yes, and Lewis Carroll does it so often and so entertaingly! In the Seventh Fit of "The Hunting of the Snark", for instance, when the Banker encounters a frumious bandersnatch and goes mad from the trauma: "He was black in the face, and they scarcely could trace Any likeness to what he had been, While so great was his fright that his waist-coat turned white, A wonderful thing to be seen! To the horror of all who were present that day, He arose in full evening dress, And with senseless grimaces endeavored to say What his tongue could no longer express. Down he sank in a chair, ran his hands through his hair, And chanted, in mimsiest tones, Words whose utter inanity proved his insanity, While he rattled a couple of bones." (I have recorded, and uploaded, my own recitation of "The Hunting of the Snark". See the link below.) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fsd5e82QvLOpmKM.html
@ksnare77 10 ай бұрын
Gosh how did I wander into such an awesome and high-brow subthread....
@brianellinger6622 11 ай бұрын
they stole what my family sent me, my dental care, collage housing vouchers and told horrible lies to ppl
@elizabethmcglothlin5406 11 ай бұрын
Dear heavens!
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
It's a shocking story.
@barrybarlowe5640 11 ай бұрын
Mercury poisoning. Mercury was used in tanning leather for mens' wear and of course, hats. My own Grandfather succumbed to this.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Toxic stuff!
@jessicaisles4946 2 жыл бұрын
Wondering why we are still using mercury in fillings...? Or has that been phased out?
@dees3179 2 жыл бұрын
Depends how expensive the dentist….
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
This is a controversial issue, after examining the evidence the FDA has said that mercury fillings remain safe for most people, not everyone agrees however.
@The_New_Abnormal_World_Order 11 ай бұрын
Because the pharmaceutical industry makes more money when everyone is sick.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Ouch, cynical!
@azgardener79 11 ай бұрын
@professorgraemeyorston The FDA may say they are safe, however, I had my dentist remove all of mine. My dentist thought I was nuts and told me they are totally safe. When I asked him how he has to dispose of the old fillings, he told me they have special disposal procedures because it's considered hazardous waste. The look on his face was priceless because he knew he just contradicted his own statement. He was speechles as I gave him that odd look.
@MsNooneinparticular 11 ай бұрын
Whyyyy does this topic intrigue me so much? And why has psychiatry completely abandoned this side of things today? Patients are never asked about head trauma, tested for heavy metals, nutrient deficiencies, infections/autoimmune disease, possible drug/alcohol exposure in utero or other biological causes of "mental" illness. It's all "genes & environment" or "childhood trauma". They're still stuck in the Dark Freudian Ages when everything was about Oedipus & his sick motherly love. 🤮
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
There is much more awareness of autoimmune causes of psychosis today and new onset cases should be routinely screened.
@mrc4912 10 ай бұрын
Mercury, I think. Same thing that was the demise of foothill prospectors in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century who used it to retort the gold. The resultant fumes caused horrible cancers, some had their bones literally waste away.
@xxcelr8rs 11 ай бұрын
So I will assume mercury treatment appeared to have worked in some cases for them to continue to try it.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Good question - one would assume so - but I don't think anyone ever carried out any clinical trials and in many cases syphilis does not progress to the advanced stages.
@ovrezy 11 ай бұрын
Since Lewis Carroll didn’t use the term, the most famous usage comes from the Disney movie? Mad as an adder in cockney sure could be ‘mad as an ‘atter’.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Five to four. Sure!
@diegoknyte Жыл бұрын
That “Mad as a…” list, i’m never heard of any variation of any of those, except Hatter. Is it a Britt thing?
@professorgraemeyorston Жыл бұрын
Many of them are historical or are used in different countries - I haven't heard many of them used either - so no all Brits are not mad!
@fikanera838 Жыл бұрын
Coming from Australia, one of the most common is 'mad as a cut snake'. I'm watching this on a phone, & couldn't see if that one was on the list.
@theallseeingkats6321 11 ай бұрын
I just find it amazing humanity made it this far being ignorant of misuse of earths toxic substances👀💀
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Do you think we are gradually becoming more aware or just getting worse?
@theallseeingkats6321 11 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston getting worse... I believe we were very ignorant about the cough cough one niner but that's just my opinion👀
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
I agree with you
@whiskeymonk4085 10 ай бұрын
Ill drink to that!
@professorgraemeyorston 10 ай бұрын
Cheers!
@A.R.77 10 ай бұрын
The hatting...it's always the hatting.
@seanmcardle 11 ай бұрын
Thinking back to the 'S Town' podcast now. Did he have a saliva/drinking problem?
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
I seem to be one of the few people who haven't listened to S-Town - I'll have a listen.
@vespadavidson2315 11 ай бұрын
My grandmother had it. She was a furrier.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
It's a shame that so many people had to suffer for the vanity of the rich.
@jamiecook7596 Жыл бұрын
What's the song in the background?
@professorgraemeyorston Жыл бұрын
The music is: Beethoven: String Quartet No 8: Pascal Quartet; Schubert Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major: Jascha Heifetz, Emanuel Feuermann, Artur Rubinstein and Satie Gnossienne 3 La Pianista.
@zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat6589 11 ай бұрын
As a cabinetmaker, I can't take my eyes off your saggy MDF bookshelves. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
What would you suggest?
@TheOsfania 11 ай бұрын
Hey, Limey, didn't your Queen Lizzy I use makeup with mercury in it?
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Sure did.
@fsoiberg 11 ай бұрын
Well, now I know what my amalgam tooth fillings are doing to me!
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
It's always a worry when something is declared safe!
@jamescanterbury6634 11 ай бұрын
It’s likely that syphilis was in Europe before Columbus.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
It's likely that a treponemal disease like syphilis was present, but something happened around 1492 - either a mutation in the genome or a new strain being brought in from somewhere else.
@kennethraymondmoore 10 ай бұрын
I don't have to watch this video to know what makes hatter's mad: when people wear ball caps backwards.
@etiennenobel5028 11 ай бұрын
I always thought it was the glue they used that made them mad/high. 🙂
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Just the drinking in the bar after a long shift!
@etiennenobel5028 11 ай бұрын
@@professorgraemeyorston lol
@franklinarchambault-ik5xg 11 ай бұрын
mercury
@mekkler 11 ай бұрын
Things from history are never as straight forward as they first appear.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
I couldn't agree more.
@KatMcKiv 11 ай бұрын
I always thought it was because they were high from the glue they used .
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
The glue was the least of their worries!
@anvilbrunner.2013 11 ай бұрын
Mad as a bag of badgers.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Good one.
@frankanddanasnyder3272 10 ай бұрын
I thought tis was about mad hatters...apparently not.
@snarflatful 9 ай бұрын
Mercury. Next question?
@joiebrasington3562 10 ай бұрын
I was always under the impression that photographers in earlier centuries were at risk mentally because of the chemicals they used. True or not?
@CaribouDataScience 11 ай бұрын
The photos from Japan were probably taken by Life Magizine photographer W. Eugene Smith.
@professorgraemeyorston 11 ай бұрын
Thank you, Minimata was a real tragedy.
@tomyorston6037 2 жыл бұрын
Loved this, couldn’t believe the 2 litres of saliva a day statistic 🤮
@professorgraemeyorston 2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Thomas, no wonder they drank!
@jamesblonde2271 11 ай бұрын
Mercury, there u go.
Professor Graeme Yorston
Рет қаралды 11 М.
Professor Graeme Yorston
Рет қаралды 1,3 МЛН
Professor Graeme Yorston
Рет қаралды 644 М.
Timeline - World History Documentaries
Рет қаралды 2 МЛН
Professor Graeme Yorston
Рет қаралды 514 М.