Talk:Boston Corbett

message: What the hell is a hatter?  And why does it require mercury? 09:22, 14 Apr 2005 by User:196.3.48.10
a Hatter is one who makes hats. 
Traditionally, hatters used mercuric compounds in the felting of the beaver and other furs to make the fabric hats are made from.  Thus the english phrase "mad as a hatter" and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland.  
Specifically, mercuric nitrate was used to wash the pelts which caused the fur to seperate better, and to felt better.  This process was called "carroting" because mercuric nitrate was orange. Mercury poisoning attacks the nervous system, causing drooling, hair loss, uncontrollable muscle twitching, a lurching gait, and difficulties in talking and thinking clearly.  Mercury was not completly eliminated from hatmaking until 1943 in the U.S. Rick Boatright 18:12, 14 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Untitled

message: :To anonymous editor 24.205.251.41, Booth died in agony and there is no POV involved in that remark (slight or otherwise). I'll leave it the way you edited it, and forget about it. Glad you didn't feel the need to tell us he died peacefully. Dr. Dan 04:17, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Hello Dr. Dan, I just felt that "agony" was unnecessary because it could be interperted as the writer hoping that he died in agony (at least that how I interpreted it). Unless he said he was in agony as he died, how could the writer know how he felt? While I'm sure he did die a painful death, his emotional state at the time of death does not seem relevant to the article. Thank you for pointing out my edit so we could discuss this further. --24.205.251.41 05:10, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks for your response (one does not typically get them from anonymous users). I prefer to leave the matter alone. In the more detailed and scholarly works concerning Booth's death, that I have read, they point to a prolonged and agonizing death that took several hours. Since I wasn't there, and he didn't tell me so, I'm even more satisfied that I chose to let it go. As a pacifist, and conscientious objector, I would not wish anyone an agonizing death. That was not my intention when I wrote it, and far be it from me, to be some kind of judge of men deemed bad or evil by society at large. Best wishes, Dr. Dan 04:54, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Agony?

message: I was struck by the reference to Corbett becoming a "Born Again 
Evangelical Christian" in Boston in the 1850's.  It struck me that this 
did not appear accurate, given the time frame or the geographic 
location.  The terms "born again" and "evangelical Christian" both have acquired meanings and associations in the late 20th Century which would 
not have been relevant to the mid-19th Century.   I did a little digging 
and found an article in Harper's Weekly (May 13, 1865) about Boston 
Corbett which identified that he joined the Methodist Episcopal church at 
this time.  Therefore, I edited the article to include the more precise 
information.               
                                        Bonbga (talk) 20:01, 23 March 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Religious Beliefs

message: The link to "mad hatter" leads to the character from Alice in Wonderland, so I changed it to go to the phrase, fitting nicely with the reference to the phrase.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.41.133.146 (talk) 18:22, 22 May 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Changed link to "Mad Hatter" to "Mad as a Hatter"

message: The reference "Swanson 2007" is used several times in the "Notes" section, but there is not data about this reference in the "References" section. --MrBurns (talk) 01:22, 1 August 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: You are right. I bet a previous revision deleted the parent citation. Someone needs to rescue it. Ckruschke (talk) 19:08, 11 August 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Reference "Swanson 2007" 

message: I must confess to a certain degree of skepticism concerning the historical record regarding Corbett allegedly castrating himself.  For one thing, why do his Civil War photos show him with facial hair long after the event?  According to a  source I found online, eunuchs can’t grow facial hair, so I assume that shortly after the act whatever facial hair he might have worn would have fallen out never to grow back.  Wrong?  Secondly, I am most skeptical of the depiction of Corbett having castrated himself and then having eaten a meal and attended a church service before finally seeking medical help.  He wouldn’t have bled to death in the interim?  Is it possible that he attempted this act and botched it prior to completion?HistoryBuff14 (talk) 15:04, 2 April 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Factual accuracy of his self-castration? 

message: What does the H. stand for? Socks2011 (talk) 20:03, 16 October 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Middle name