Not that mercury poisoning was unknown before Minamata. Use of mercury for different purposes dates back to antiquity. While the name for the most common mercury ore, cinnabar, is of Latin origin, similarities with the Persian zinjifra or the Sanskrit sugara indicate widespread and shared knowledge of the material. Techniques for separation of metallic mercury from the non-metallic sulphur in cinnabar ore were among the earliest classifications which were later to lead to the science of chemistry. Toxic effects of prolonged exposure to mercury especially inhalation of its fumes have been known for long. Most contemporary literature on the subject have obligatory reference to the Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland, picturised with a tall brimmed hat. Mental problems and various physical ailments among medieval hat-makers who used mercury to stiffen brims using felt were well known. It was also common for sailors on ships carrying mercury to suffer seriously from on-board spills.
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