Mercury is the answer

So, for a science assignment, we had to take mineral rock or stone or even metal and say what facts we never knew about it.  For mine, I had chosen Mercury because of the tale behind the Mad Hatter.  The author of Alice In Wonderland was surrounded by hat makers who used Mercury to hold the hats together thoroughly.  As a result of handling such a dangerous metallic substance, the hat makers would go mad in the head.  Within the chapters of the Looking Glass, the Mad Hatter attempts to solve the mystery to his madness, saying that he was investigating things that began with the letter M.  I hope I captured his tortured search in vain.  Comment and critique please.