Date:    Fri, 27 Feb 1998 02:20:29 -0600
<br>From:    Mike Salovesh  t20mxs1[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CORN.CSO.NIU.EDU 
<br>Subject: Re: March hare
<br>
<br>Barry (bapopik) wrote:
<br>
<br>  -------------------------------------------
<br>  MARCH HARE
<br> 
<br>       It's almost March.  "March Madness" was posted a year ago.  "Mad as a
<br>  March hare" is not in Christine Ammer's new book of idioms, and it's poorly
<br>  explained in Bartlett's, where John Skelton and John Heywood are both cited.
<br>  This item was also in my files from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Questions and
<br>  Answers, 24 March 1929:
<br> 
<br>       "Mad as a March hare."
<br>       Will you kindly inform me how the expression, "Mad as a March hare,"
<br>  originated and where it is found?
<br>
<br>                 big snip 
<br>
<br>        Our correspondent may have in mind the March hare of
<br>  "Alice in Wonderland."
<br>
<br>Bringing up the the subject of "the Mad Hatter", who shares the stage of
<br>the Mad Tea Party with the March Hare and the Dormouse.
<br>
<br>A long time ago, Isaac Asimov commented on the apparent insanity of
<br>Isaac Newton's last years.  He thought it was highly probable that
<br>Newton had gone mad as a result of mercury poisoning -- which certainly
<br>wasn't unlikely, given that Newton did play around with mercury a lot.
<br>Asimov went on to say that "mad as a hatter" had its origin in the fact
<br>that hatmakers treated felt with mercury to get a more attractive pile.
<br>Insanity in hatters was simply an occupational hazard.
<br>
<br>Anyone have a sighting on whether Asimov was right about mad hatters?
<br>
<br>--  mike salovesh                                salovesh[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]niu.edu 
<br>    anthropology department
<br>    northern illinois university                     PEACE !!!
<br>