Mad As A Hatter – The 2014 Version

The term “schizophrenia” will likely need to go the way of the expression “mad as a hatter.” What am I talking about?

It's a bit of medical history. The expression “mad as a hatter” used to mean “crazy” – a term first used in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine in 1829. Why? People who made hats in the 1800s had a high likelihood of aggressiveness, mood swings, and anti-social behavior. What the scientists of the day didn’t know is that the mercury compounds used in 19th century hat making caused mercury poisoning – and those behaviors were from mercury-induced . . .