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Albert Hofman Dead at Age 102

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LSD Inventor Albert Hofmann Dead at Age 102
By Dylan Tweney
http://www.hofmann.org/

Albert Hofmann, the pioneering Swiss chemist and advocate of psychedelics who discovered the hallucinogenic properties of LSD, died Tuesday. He was 102.

Hofmann reportedly died of a heart attack at his home in Basel, Switzerland.

Mr Hofmann first produced LSD in 1938 while researching the medicinal uses of a crop fungus. He hoped LSD could be used to treat mental illness, but it became a popular street drug in the 1960s. He referred to it as "medicine for the soul."

The experience led Hofmann to begin experimenting with other hallucinogens and he became an advocate of their use, in both the arenas of psychoanalysis and personal growth.

In a celebration of Hofmann's 100th birthday in 2006, Hofmann told the crowd of well-wishers -- which included 2,000 researchers, scientists, artists and historians -- that "LSD wanted to tell me something. It gave me an inner joy, an open mindedness, a gratefulness, open eyes and an internal sensitivity for the miracles of creation."

In his autobiography, LSD, My Problem Child, Hofmann remembered his discovery this way:

Hofmann's most famous discovery happened on April 16, 1943. He was researching the synthesis of a lysergic acid compound, LSD-25, when he inadvertently absorbed a bit through his fingertips. Intrigued by the effect it had on his perception, Hofmann decided further exploration was warranted. Three days later, on April 19, he ingested 250 milligrams of LSD, embarking on the first full-fledged acid trip. That day became known among LSD fans as "bicycle day" because Hofmann began experiencing the drug's intense effects on his bicycle trip home from the lab.

"In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away."

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He was critical of LSD's casual use by the counterculture during the '60s, accusing rank amateurs of hijacking the drug without understanding either its positive or negative effects.

Hofmann was also the first scientist to synthesize psilocybin, the active ingredient in psilocybin mushrooms, in 1958.

Posted by Raymond Powers on April 30, 2008 01:10 AM | | | Albert Hofman Dead at Age 102

Comments (2)

Raymond, thank you for posting this. I look forward to reading it more closely after my classes...

Comment #1 Posted by: Suza | April 30, 2008 07:24 AM

Raymond,
Come out of the hills and join the rest of us. There's Reality TV now!!!

Comment #2 Posted by: Ant Bee | May 2, 2008 06:51 AM

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