LSD inventor Albert Hoffman dead

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sure, Shayne, I like talking about this.

Here Lies
Albert Hoffman
Inventor of LSD
Dead at the Age
of 102

The good die young

WTF?

When your luggage gets lost on the airline, you don't blame the Wright Brothers!

sheesh. Dr. Hoffman used his invention twice. . .it was Dr. (PhD) Timothy Leary that exploited it, not Dr. Hoffman.

Merle

A sad day, RIP Albert.

Douglas, what do you mean, the good die young? 102 is hardly in the prime of one's youth:P

Sadly I was broke when I heard the news and couldn't get ahold of any cid, I would have liked to have marked his passing in a fitting way.

Odd, I thought the good Doctor partook many times (??)

pssst, Prof. ..

Hofmann joined the pharmaceutical-chemical department of Sandoz Laboratories (now Novartis), located in Basel. He began studying the medicinal plant squill and the fungus ergot as part of a program to purify and synthesize active constituents for use as pharmaceuticals. While researching lysergic acid derivatives, Hofmann first synthesized LSD-25 in 1938. It was set aside for five years, until April 16, 1943, when Hofmann decided to take another look at it. While re-synthesizing LSD, he accidentally absorbed a small quantity through his fingertips [3] and serendipitously discovered its powerful effects before his bicycle ride home. Three days later, on April 19, Hofmann deliberately consumed 250 micrograms of LSD. This was followed by a series of self-experiments conducted by Hofmann and his colleagues. He first wrote about these experiments on April 22 of that year.


Further research
“ I think that in human evolution it has never been as necessary to have this substance LSD. It is just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be. ”
—Albert Hofmann,

Hofmann became director of the natural products department at Sandoz and went on studying hallucinogenic substances found in Mexican mushrooms and other plants used by the aboriginal people. This led to the synthesis of psilocybin, the active agent of many "magic mushrooms." Hofmann also became interested in the seeds of the Mexican morning glory species Rivea corymbosa, the seeds of which are called Ololiuhqui by the natives. He was surprised to find the active compound of Ololiuhqui, ergine (lysergic acid amide), to be closely related to LSD.

In 1962, he and his wife Anita traveled to southern Mexico to search for the plant "Ska Maria Pastora" (Leaves of Mary the Shepherdess), later known as Salvia divinorum. He was able to obtain samples of this plant but never succeeded in identifying its active compound which has since been identified as the diterpenoid Salvinorin A.


Albert Hofmann in 2006In 1963, Hofmann attended the annual convention of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences (WAAS) in Stockholm.

Hofmann called LSD "medicine for the soul" and was frustrated by the worldwide prohibition that has pushed it underground. "It was used very successfully for 10 years in psychoanalysis," he said, adding that the drug was hijacked by the youth movement of the 1960s and then unfairly demonized by the establishment that the movement opposed. He conceded that LSD can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

In December 2007, Swiss medical authorities permitted a psychotherapist to perform psychotherapeutical experiments with patients who suffer from terminal stage cancer and other deadly diseases. Although not yet started, these experiments will represent the first study of the therapeutic effects of LSD on humans in 35 years, as other studies have focused on the drug's effects on consciousness and body. Hofmann supported the study, and continued to believe in the therapeutic benefits of LSD.

Between summer of 74 and 1980 I took that stuff about 25 or 30 times. Never once had a flashback from it. A 250 microgram dose was pretty powerful wasn't it? I think it was the Lt Governor of Ohio made up some whopping lie about some college students who took LSD and stared at the sun and went blind. It was repeated for a while until some nosy reporter asked for particulars, I have not researched it but I read that somewhere.

I wonder how many people live to be 102? It must be very rare. Anyway speaking of acid, I highly recommend "The Electric Kool-aid acid test." By Ken Kesey

Tom Wolfe. . .Kesey wrote One Flew over the Cookoo's nest

Oops, thanks for the correction.