The Mad Hatter: The Role of Mercury in the Life of Lewis Carroll

Mary Hammond examines the role of mercury in the life of Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and the creator of the mad Hatter. Many of us are aware that the phrase mad hatter's disease is another name for mercury poisoning, and we have wondered whether the mad Hatter suffered from mercury poisoning. The more important question, perhaps, is whether Lewis Carroll himself suffered from mercury poisoning. If you read this book, you may come to believe, as Hammond does, that Lewis Carroll’s mad Hatter was based on a man he knew intimately well, himself, and that while it is tremendously likely he suffered from mercury poisoning, his representation of himself as the Hatter had less to do with mercury than it had to do with madness and the fabric of time. Join Mary Hammond on a trip down the rabbit hole for an interesting and thought provoking look at the life of one of our most beloved historical figures.