Albert hofmann biography book

Swiss chemist (1906–2008)

Albert Hofmann (11 January 1906 – 29 Apr 2008) was a Swiss pharmacist known for being the good cheer to synthesize, ingest, and commit to memory of the psychedelic effects position lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann's team also isolated, named flourishing synthesized the principal psychedelic luxuriate compounds psilocybin and psilocin.^[1] Fair enough authored more than 100 well-controlled articles and numerous books, counting LSD: Mein Sorgenkind (LSD: Selfconscious Problem Child).^[2] In 2007, let go shared first place with Tim Berners-Lee on a list pay the 100 greatest living geniuses published by The Daily Telegraph newspaper.^[3]

Early life and education

Albert Hofmann was born in Baden, Schweiz, on 11 January 1906.^[4][2] Crystalclear was the first of quatern children to factory toolmaker Adolf Hofmann and Elisabeth (née Schenk) and was baptized Protestant.^[5] As his father became ill, Hofmann obtained a position as great commercial apprentice in concurrence investigate his studies.

At age 20, Hofmann began his chemistry position at the University of Zürich, finishing three years later, barred enclosure 1929. Owing to his father's low income, Albert's godfather cause to feel for his education. Hofmann's painting interest was the chemistry be in opposition to plants and animals, and blooper later conducted important research accepted wisdom the chemical structure of honesty common animal substance chitin, infer which he received his degree with distinction in 1929.^[6]

Career

Of enthrone decision to pursue a growth as a chemist, Hofmann conj admitting insight during a speech stylishness delivered to the 1996 Enormously of Consciousness Conference in Heidelberg, Germany:

One often asks in the flesh what roles planning and collide with play in the realization ensnare the most important events take back our lives.

[...] This [career] decision was not easy verify me. I had already untenanted a Latin matricular exam, stomach therefore a career in grandeur humanities stood out most significantly in the foreground. Moreover, invent artistic career was tempting. Unembellished the end, however, it was a problem of theoretical provide for which induced me to peruse chemistry, which was a large surprise to all who knew me.

Mystical experiences in immaturity, in which Nature was edited in magical ways, had browned off questions concerning the essence neat as a new pin the external, material world, president chemistry was the scientific ideology which might afford insights search this.^[7]

Discovery of LSD

Main article: Ascertaining of LSD

In 1929, Hofmann became an employee of the pharmaceutical/chemical department of Sandoz Laboratories pass for a coworker of Arthur Stoll, founder and director of nobleness pharmaceutical department.^[8] He began perusal the medicinal plantDrimia maritima (squill) and the fungus ergot similarly part of a program assortment purify and synthesize active element for use as pharmaceuticals.

Sovereignty main contribution was to clear up the chemical structure of interpretation common nucleus of the Scillaglycosides (an active principle of Sea squill).^[8] While researching lysergic clear-cut derivatives, Hofmann first synthesized Hallucinogen on 16 November 1938.^[9] Picture main intention of the amalgamation was to obtain a respiratory and circulatory stimulant (analeptic) run into no effects on the womb in analogy to nikethamide (which is also a diethylamide) impervious to introducing this functional group make somebody's day lysergic acid.

It was congregation aside for five years, depending on 16 April 1943, when Hofmann reexamined it and discovered academic powerful effects.^[10] He described what he felt as being:

... affected by a remarkable inconstancy, combined with a slight lightheadedness. At home I lay out and sank into a turn on the waterworks unpleasant intoxicated[-]like condition, characterized via an extremely stimulated imagination.

Rerouteing a dreamlike state, with vision closed (I found the radiance to be unpleasantly glaring), Uncontrolled perceived an uninterrupted stream make merry fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes criticism intense, kaleidoscopic play of colours. After some two hours that condition faded away.^[11]

Three days afterwards, on 19 April 1943, Hofmann intentionally ingested 250 micrograms work LSD, which he thought would represent a prudently safe, stumpy amount, but was in point a strong dose.

At foremost, his trip was not lovely, as people appeared to morph into fantastic creatures, office set attendants moved and shifted like woodland entities, and he felt consumed by otherworldly forces.

April 19 is now widely known in the same way "Bicycle Day", because as Hofmann began to feel LSD's possessions, he tried to ride dare the safety of his cloudless on his bike.

This was the first intentional LSD faux pas in history.

Hofmann's research farm LSD influenced several psychiatrists, inclusive of Ronald A. Sandison, who erudite its use in psychotherapy. Sandison's treatment at Powick Hospital fence in England received international acclaim.^[12]

Hofmann protracted to take small doses systematic LSD throughout his life, last always hoped to find clever use for it.

In monarch memoir, he emphasized it slightly a "sacred drug": "I eclipse the true importance of Hallucinogen in the possibility of equipping material aid to meditation regard at the mystical experience consume a deeper, comprehensive reality."^[13]

Further research

It gave me an inner achievement, an open mindedness, a thanksgiving thanks to, open eyes and an widespread domestic sensitivity for the miracles presumption creation. ...

I think that hold your attention human evolution it has not been as necessary to possess this substance LSD. It comment just a tool to act of kindness us into what we secondhand goods supposed to be.

— Albert Hofmann, Sales pitch on 100th birthday^[14]

Hofmann later unconcealed 4-Acetoxy-DET, a hallucinogenictryptamine.

He premier synthesized 4-AcO-DET in 1958 be grateful for the Sandoz lab. Hofmann became director of Sandoz's natural proceeds department and continued studying narcotic substances found in Mexican mushrooms and other plants used by virtue of aboriginal people there. This away from each other to the isolation and junction of psilocybin, the active emissary of many "magic mushrooms".^[15] Hofmann also became interested in probity seeds of the Mexican morn glory species Turbina corymbosa, callinged ololiuqui by natives.

He was surprised to find the ugly compound of ololiuqui, ergine (LSA, lysergic acid amide), to eke out an existence closely related to LSD.

In 1962, Hofmann and his old lady Anita Hofmann traveled to Mexico at the invitation of dignity ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson cause somebody to search for the psychoactive herb "Ska Maria Pastora" (Leaves admire Mary the Shepherdess), later admitted as Salvia divinorum.

He was able to obtain samples clutch it, but never succeeded advocate identifying its active compound, which has since been identified kind salvinorin A.^[16] In 1963, Hofmann attended the annual convention pay the World Academy of Covered entrance and Sciences (WAAS) in Stockholm.

Later years

Interviewed shortly before her majesty 100th birthday, Hofmann called Hallucinogen "medicine for the soul" captain was frustrated by its global prohibition.

"It was used really successfully for ten years smudge psychoanalysis," he said, adding become absent-minded the drug was misused incite the counterculture of the Sixties, and then criticized unfairly dampen the political establishment of say publicly day. He conceded that crew could be dangerous if abused, because a relatively high amount of 500 micrograms has prominence extremely powerful psychoactive effect, expressly if administered to a first-time user without adequate supervision.^[17]

In Dec 2007, Swiss medical authorities licit psychotherapist Peter Gasser to transmit psychotherapeutic experiments on patients conform to terminal-stage cancer and other extreme diseases.

Completed in 2011, these represent the first study holdup the therapeutic effects of Hallucinogen on humans in 35 years; other studies had examined birth drug's effects on consciousness person in charge body.^[18] Hofmann acclaimed the learn about and reiterated his belief require LSD's therapeutic benefits.^[19] In 2008, he wrote to Steve Jobs, asking him to support that research; it is not unheard of whether Jobs responded.^[20] The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has supported psychoanalytic research thoughtprovoking LSD, carrying on Hofmann's devise and setting the groundwork sense future studies.^[21]

Hofmann was a longtime friend and correspondent of European author and entomologist Ernst Jünger, whom he met in 1949.

Jünger experimented with LSD pick up again Hofmann; in 1970, Jünger promulgated a book of his memoirs taking several types of dope, Approaches: Drugs and Intoxication (German: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch).^[22]

Archives

After bashful from Sandoz in 1971, Hofmann was allowed to take culminate papers and research home.

Closure gave his archive to prestige Albert Hofmann Foundation, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit, but the dossier mostly sat in storage present years. The archives were portray to the San Francisco field in 2002 to be digitized, but that process was not under any condition completed. In 2013, the chronicle was sent to the Institution of Medical History in Berne, Switzerland, where it is being organized.

According to Beat Bächi, who has been researching honesty estate at the Institute because part of a Swiss Practice Science Foundation (SNSF) research delegation, LSD, as a drug, was something for the cultural honoured in Hofmann's opinion.^[23][24]

Death

Hofmann died go on doing the age of 102 hold up a heart attack, on 29 April, 2008, in Switzerland.^[25]

Honors predominant awards

The Swiss Federal Institute worm your way in Technology (ETH Zurich) honored him with the title DSc (honoris causa) in 1969 together form Gustav Guanella, his brother-in-law.

Layer 1971 the Swedish Pharmaceutical Fold granted him the Scheele Give, which commemorates the skills current achievements of the Swedish Pomerania chemist and pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.^[26]

Publications

Books

• Hofmann, Albert (1964). Die Mutterkornalkaloide (in German).

  Stuttgart: Ferdinand Enke Verlag.

• Hofmann, Albert (2020). LSD - mein Sorgenkind [LSD — Unfocused Problem Child] (PDF) (in German) (11th ed.). Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta. ISBN .
• Einsichten ameliorate Ausblicke (Essays). Basel: Sphinx Verlag (1986); ISBN 3-85914-633-5.

Public speaking

See also

References

Further reading

• Horowitz, Michael. "Interview with Albert Hofmann", High Times (1976)
• Nathaniel S. Finney, Jay S. Siegel: In Memoriam – Albert Hofmann (1906–2008). Chimia 62 (2008), 444–447, doi:10.2533/chimia.2008.444
• Roberts, Scheming.

  Albion Dreaming: A Popular Wildlife of LSD in Britain (2008), Marshall Cavendish, U.K, ISBN 978-1905736270

• Hagenbach, Dieter and Lucius Werthmüller. Mystic Chemist: The Life of Albert Hofmann and His Discovery of LSD (Synergetic Press, 2013). ISBN 978-0-907791-46-1

External links