Danbury, Connecticut used to be the center of the American hat industry.聽It was also known for the 鈥淒anbury shakes,鈥� a condition that encompassed tremors, incoherent speech, difficulty in walking and eventual feeble mindedness.聽Victims of this disease were the hatters who used mercury compounds in the processing of felt material!聽 This condition was also known in Europe as evidenced by Lewis Carrol鈥檚 鈥淢ad Hatter鈥� character in the famous Alice stories.聽Great care needs to be exercised in the handling of mercury.聽 Even a broken thermometer can cause serious problems.聽The metal should be cleaned up with an eyedropper and placed in a sealed container.聽Never use a vacuum cleaner!聽It spreads the mercury vapor
