curiousa2z
Be patient till the last.
1943 : Hallucinogenic effects of LSD discovered
In Basel, Switzerland, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist working at the
Sandoz pharmaceutical research laboratory, accidentally consumes
LSD-25, a synthetic drug he had created in 1938 as part of his
research into the medicinal value of lysergic acid compounds. After
taking the drug, formally known as lysergic acid diethylamide, Dr.
Hoffman was disturbed by unusual sensations and hallucinations. In his
notes, he related the experience:
"Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the
laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being
affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight
dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant,
intoxicated-like condition characterized by an extremely stimulated
imagination. 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 colours. After some two hours this condition
faded away."
After intentionally taking the drug again to confirm that it had
caused this strange physical and mental state, Dr. Hoffman published a
report announcing his discovery, and so LSD made its entry into the
world as a hallucinogenic drug. Widespread use of the so-called
"mind-expanding" drug did not begin until the 1960s, when
counterculture figures such as Albert M. Hubbard, Timothy Leary, and
Ken Kesey publicly expounded on the benefits of using LSD as a
recreational drug. The manufacture, sale, possession, and use of LSD,
known to cause negative reactions in some of those who take it, were
made illegal in the United States in 1965.
In Basel, Switzerland, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist working at the
Sandoz pharmaceutical research laboratory, accidentally consumes
LSD-25, a synthetic drug he had created in 1938 as part of his
research into the medicinal value of lysergic acid compounds. After
taking the drug, formally known as lysergic acid diethylamide, Dr.
Hoffman was disturbed by unusual sensations and hallucinations. In his
notes, he related the experience:
"Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the
laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being
affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight
dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant,
intoxicated-like condition characterized by an extremely stimulated
imagination. 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 colours. After some two hours this condition
faded away."
After intentionally taking the drug again to confirm that it had
caused this strange physical and mental state, Dr. Hoffman published a
report announcing his discovery, and so LSD made its entry into the
world as a hallucinogenic drug. Widespread use of the so-called
"mind-expanding" drug did not begin until the 1960s, when
counterculture figures such as Albert M. Hubbard, Timothy Leary, and
Ken Kesey publicly expounded on the benefits of using LSD as a
recreational drug. The manufacture, sale, possession, and use of LSD,
known to cause negative reactions in some of those who take it, were
made illegal in the United States in 1965.
