When pondering on the most dangerous jobs throughout history, as you do. Popular conclusions sway towards the military, or maybe a disease doctor in the Middle Ages.
Rarely would that of a Hat Maker come to mind. Turns out that making hats in the 16th century was pretty fucking dangerous.
A Milliner (hat maker), was someone who specialised in the making and selling of hats, particularly women’s hats.
It also turns out that these milliners were in very high demand back then to match the need for the new hat craze in the western world.
Thus making a Milliner a lucrative career choice for tradesmen of the era.
What Made Hat Making Dangerous?
The vast majority of hats back then were made from animal fur and felt.
It was quickly discovered that curing in a mix of Mercuric Nitrate added strength to the hats and sped up the whole process, considerably.
It’s alleged that this technique was discovered by a French Milliner who was on a prescription of mercury to treat his Syphilis.
My man used his own urine on the hats, discovering the magic. - Nice.
As I’m sure you’ve guessed, long term exposure to mercury causes some pretty fucking nasty health conditions, one of which being Erethism.
Due to it attacking the central nervous system, symptoms of Erethism are both physical and psychological.
Initially starting as a victims struggle to control emotions, it eventually leads to severe tremors as the bodies motor functions begin to break down. - Nasty stuff.
Due to the uncontrollable drooling, stumbling and shaking, Erethism was often mistaken for drunkenness.
In extreme cases, victims encountered heavy hallucinations and extreme paranoia.
This is where the term “Mad as a Hatter” or “Mad Hatter” comes from. - The more you know.
By 1874, alternatives had been developed to replace Mercuric Nitrate, and by the start of the 20th Century, laws enacted in both England & France prohibited the use of the chemicals for Milliners.
Lewis Carroll’s character The Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland exhibits many of the traits of the milliners suffering with Erethism.
Bringing the term Mad as a Hatter into everyday vocabulary, still used to this day.
Hats off to the workers!
- M
On This Day -
1917 - US President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war against Germany.
1982 - Several thousand Argentine troops seize the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands from Great Britain.
2020 - Record 6.6 million Americans filed claims for unemployment in last week according to the US Department of Labor. 10 million over 2 weeks.