Albert Hofmann is a Swiss chemist who is the inventor of LSD, which is considered a narcotic and banned in many countries. Hofmann discovered the psychedelic LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide-25), used by millions of people from the hippie generation in the 1960s, in 1938 while researching the medicinal uses of mold fungi found in wheat and other grains at the pharmaceutical company Sandoz.
After laboratory tests, Hofmann tried LSD on himself for the first time on April 16, 1943. Hofmann, who took very little LSD in the first experiment, later wrote in a note to the company president that, regarding the effect of the drug, "I had to quit work that day and go home because a sudden discomfort and moderate dizziness began."
Hofmann described his experiences while cycling home: "Everything I saw seemed to be reflected in a distorted mirror. I felt as if I were fixed on a point. My assistant said that we were actually going too fast."
Albert Hofmann (11 January 1906 – 29 April 2008) was a Swiss chemist known for being the first to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann's team also isolated, named and synthesized the principal psychedelic mushroom compounds psilocybin and psilocin. He authored more than 100 scientific articles and numerous books, including LSD: Mein Sorgenkind (LSD: My Problem Child). In 2007, he shared first place with Tim Berners-Lee on a list of the 100 greatest living geniuses published by The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Three days later, Hofmann tried a larger dose of LSD. The result was a disaster. Hofmann said, "The substance I wanted to try took over me. I was afraid that I would go crazy. I had passed into another world, another time."
Hofmann and his colleagues hoped that LSD would make a significant contribution to the study of psychiatry. It was hoped that the drug could be used to diagnose and treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia by increasing internal problems and conflicts.
For a time, Sandoz sold LSD 25 under the name Delysid and encouraged doctors to test the drug on themselves. LSD was one of the most powerful drugs in medicine. 1 gram of Delysid met the 12-hour medication needs of 10 to 20 thousand people.
Hofmann discovered that LSD had a chemical structure similar to the psychedelic mushrooms used by Mexican Indians in their religious ceremonies.
LSD'S FAMOUS
LSD rose to international fame in the 1950s and '60s when it was championed by movie star Cary Grant and countless rock musicians as leading to "true self-discovery and enlightenment."
But beyond the “flower children” and psychedelic journeys, horrific news spread that people taking LSD were committing serial murders and jumping out of windows while hallucinating. LSD also causes permanent psychological damage in people who overuse it.
The US government banned LSD in 1966, followed by bans from other governments. However, Hofmann argued that LSD was not habit-forming, argued that the ban was unfair, and argued that the ban should be lifted so that it could be used in medical research.
Hofmann, who admitted that he tried LSD from time to time for scientific purposes even after the ban, once said, "LSD can help you open your eyes, but there are other ways to do this: meditation, dancing, music, fasting."
Thus, Hofmann, the "Father of LSD", also admitted that the drug could be dangerous in the wrong hands and named the book he wrote in 1979 "LSD, My Problem Child". Hofmann once said, "I produced this substance as a medicine; it is not my fault that people abuse it."
Who is Albert Hofmann?
Albert Hofmann (January 11, 1906 - April 29, 2008) was a Swiss scientist who was the inventor of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). In 1938, he was working in the laboratories of the Sandoz Pharmaceutical Company in Basel, Switzerland, to produce drugs for schizophrenia and blood flow accelerators.
He died of a heart attack at Hofmann's home in Basel in 2008, aged 102.