Albert Hofmann, died at 102; Chemist Discovered LSD
Posted by CN Staff on April 30, 2008 at 05:13:48 PT
By Adam Bernstein, Washington Post Staff Writer
Source: Washington Post
Switzerland -- Albert Hofmann, 102, a Swiss chemist and accidental father of LSD who came to view the much-vilified and abused hallucinogen he discovered in 1938 as his "problem child," died April 29 at his home in Burg, a village near Basel, Switzerland, after a heart attack.
His death was confirmed by Rick Doblin, the Boston-based founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company developing LSD and other psychedelics for prescription medicines.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, thousands of times stronger than mescaline, can give its user an experience often described as psychedelic -- a kaleidoscopic twirling of the mind pulsating with color and movement.
After its discovery, LSD was viewed as a wonder drug with the potential to treat problems including schizophrenia and alcoholism. For the latter, some held the theory that chronic drinkers quit only after experiencing the hallucinations of delirium tremens.
LSD attracted many prominent advocates. They included Aldous Huxley, author of "Brave New World," and psychologist Timothy Leary, who saw the drug as a potent way for people to live up to his 1960s counterculture motto: "Turn on, tune in, drop out."
The CIA was also widely reported to have used LSD in experiments on unwitting subjects. This, and greater recreational use that caused some fatal overdoses, led to the widespread condemnation of the drug and, by the early 1970s, its criminalization. As a result, research permission and funding from state and federal agencies was terminated.
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Albert Hofmann, died at 102; Chemist Discovered LSD in Switzerland
A very good article about acid's lasting effect on British life from the BBC:
Did LSD change Britain?
Did LSD change Britain?
I've read Hoffman's "LSD - My Problem Child", and I can say (or rather Hoffman can say) LSD was not an accidental discovery. He knew to a certain extent what he was creating. You can find this book online and read it yourself. I'm due for a reread as it's been over 20 years since I read it. I've done LSD more times than I could ever count. I can't say whether it's really helped, but I probably wouldn't be who I am today without it. I did my LSD consumption during my teens so I had quite a profound affect on me. Haven't touched it for a while, I guess I don't really need it anymore. Thanks Albert.