37-592: Psychedelic film 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
74-479: A book of his experiences taking several types of drugs, Approaches: Drugs and Intoxication (German: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch ). After retiring from Sandoz in 1971, Hofmann was allowed to take his papers and research home. He gave his archive to the Albert Hofmann Foundation, a Los Angeles –based nonprofit, but the documents mostly sat in storage for years. The archives were sent to
111-495: A career as a chemist, Hofmann provided insight during a speech he delivered to the 1996 Worlds of Consciousness Conference in Heidelberg, Germany: One often asks oneself what roles planning and chance play in the realization of the most important events in our lives. [...] This [career] decision was not easy for me. I had already taken a Latin matricular exam, and therefore a career in the humanities stood out most prominently in
148-590: A diploma in psychotherapy, and encouraging students to enroll at the new University of Southampton School of Medicine which he helped to create. Returning to the Shetland Isles where he was born, arguing that it would be more practical and economical than flying patients to the Scottish mainland he rebuilt the community's ailing psychiatric services from 1975 to 1982. He later spent the rest of his working life on psychosexual medicine and family planning at
185-729: A feeder school for King's College London , a public research university . He began pre-clinical studies in 1934 and was awarded a scholarship to study medicine at King's College Hospital in London, qualifying with a MBBS in 1940. In 1941 he began his service with the Royal Air Force (RAF), stationed in Farnborough, Hampshire at the physiological laboratory, researching the medical effects of flight on aircrew, including high altitude oxygen deficiency and night flying on Spitfire pilots. On his demob, he left military service as
222-438: A first-time user without adequate supervision. In December 2007, Swiss medical authorities allowed psychotherapist Peter Gasser to perform psychotherapeutic experiments on patients with terminal-stage cancer and other terminal diseases. Completed in 2011, these represent the first study of the therapeutic effects of LSD on humans in 35 years; other studies had examined the drug's effects on consciousness and body. Hofmann acclaimed
259-504: A list of the 100 greatest living geniuses published by The Daily Telegraph newspaper. Albert Hofmann was born in Baden , Switzerland, on 11 January 1906. He was the first of four children to factory toolmaker Adolf Hofmann and Elisabeth ( née Schenk) and was baptized Protestant. When his father became ill, Hofmann obtained a position as a commercial apprentice in concurrence with his studies. At age 20, Hofmann began his chemistry degree at
296-533: A psychotheraputic drug. As a consultant psychiatrist, his LSD work was mainly carried out during the 1950s and '60s at Powick Hospital , a large psychiatric facility near Malvern, Worcestershire , after which he spent several years in Southampton , where he was instrumental in the establishment of the university medical school. He returned to his native Shetland Isles in the 1970s and worked in psychotherapy there. He later specialised in psychosexual medicine on
333-462: A use for it. In his memoir, he emphasized it as a "sacred drug": "I see the true importance of LSD in the possibility of providing material aid to meditation aimed at the mystical experience of a deeper, comprehensive reality." It gave me an inner joy, an open mindedness, a gratefulness, open eyes and an internal sensitivity for the miracles of creation. ... I think that in human evolution it has never been as necessary to have this substance LSD. It
370-601: A visit to Switzerland, he came in contact with Albert Hofmann at Sandoz , who had discovered the effects of hallucinogenic drug LSD by accident. He returned to the UK with 100 vials of LSD, called ' Delysid ' at that time by Sandoz. Sandison started by using LSD on his patients in Powick whose psychoanalysis was not advancing their therapy and he recorded significant success even in the most severe cases. In 1955 Powick Hospital inaugurated its government-funded centre, which would be
407-419: Is a film genre characterized by the influence of psychedelia and the experiences of psychedelic drugs . Psychedelic films typically contain visual distortion and experimental narratives, often emphasizing psychedelic imagery . They might reference drugs directly, or merely present a distorted reality resembling the effects of psychedelic drugs. Their experimental narratives often purposefully try to distort
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#1732797990320444-549: Is just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be. Hofmann later discovered 4-Acetoxy-DET , a hallucinogenic tryptamine . He first synthesized 4-AcO-DET in 1958 in the Sandoz lab. Hofmann became director of Sandoz's natural products department and continued studying hallucinogenic substances found in Mexican mushrooms and other plants used by aboriginal people there. This led to the isolation and synthesis of psilocybin ,
481-682: The Margaret Pyke centre in London. Despite having given up his work on LSD, Sandison 'believed passionately in its benefits'. He stayed completely certain about its medicinal use to the end of his life, retiring in 1992. Sandison liked walking and sailing. He was married three times. His first wife was Evelyn Oppen, and they had two sons. His 1965 marriage to Margaret Godfrey ended in divorce, and in 1982, he married Beth Almon. He moved with her to Ledbury , near Malvern in 1992, where he spent his retirement. Papers from 1940 to 2000 relating to Sanderson's career including personal memories and
518-532: The Samaritans in the nearby city of Worcester . Controversy was beginning to develop about the use of LSD in a medical situation, and in 1964, after becoming disenchanted by the increasing use of LSD as a recreational drug, Sandison left Powick. Medical Superintendent Dr. Arthur Spencer continued the programme until Sandoz suddenly stopped supplying the drug in 1966. Records indicate that 683 patients had been treated with LSD in 13,785 separate sessions before
555-733: The San Francisco area in 2002 to be digitized, but that process was never completed. In 2013, the archive was sent to the Institute of Medical History in Bern , Switzerland , where it is being organized. According to Beat Bächi, who has been researching the estate at the Institute as part of a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) research project, LSD, as a drug, was something for the cultural elite in Hofmann's opinion. Hofmann died at
592-464: The University of Zürich , finishing three years later, in 1929. Owing to his father's low income, Albert's godfather paid for his education. Hofmann's main interest was the chemistry of plants and animals, and he later conducted important research on the chemical structure of the common animal substance chitin , for which he received his doctorate with distinction in 1929. Of his decision to pursue
629-589: The Royal Medico-Psychological Association, now the Royal College of Psychiatrists . Sandison writes about his early years at Powick: ...the amenities were bleak in the extreme compared with Warlingham . The hospital had been built in 1852 for 200 patients... Arthur (Spencer) and I were the only consultants, and two assistant doctors completed the staff. There were nearly 1,000 patients, 400 of whom were living in
666-589: The UK mainland. Sandison died at the age of 94, and was buried in Ledbury near Malvern. Sandison was born in Shetland , a group of islands 170 km (110 mi) northeast of the Scottish mainland. When he was still a baby his father moved from Shetland to London where as a civil servant he was in charge of ancient monuments. Sandison attended the independent school of King's College School in Wimbledon ,
703-405: The active agent of many " magic mushrooms ". Hofmann also became interested in the seeds of the Mexican morning glory species Turbina corymbosa , called ololiuqui by natives. He was surprised to find the active compound of ololiuqui , ergine (LSA, lysergic acid amide), to be closely related to LSD. In 1962, Hofmann and his wife Anita Hofmann traveled to Mexico at the invitation of
740-794: The age of 102 from a heart attack, on 29 April, 2008, in Switzerland . The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ( ETH Zurich ) honored him with the title DSc (honoris causa) in 1969 together with Gustav Guanella , his brother-in-law. In 1971 the Swedish Pharmaceutical Association granted him the Scheele Award , which commemorates the skills and achievements of the Swedish Pomerania chemist and pharmacist Carl Wilhelm Scheele . Psychedelic film Psychedelic film Psychedelic film
777-460: The cheapest hospital in the country... After discussion and consultation with my colleagues at Powick, and with the professor of Psychiatry in Birmingham, I undertook the clinical use of LSD at Powick Hospital towards the end of 1952. Sandson and his team vastly improved the hospital, helping it to gain an international reputation for its treatments. While in Powick he created a local branch of
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#1732797990320814-501: The common nucleus of the Scilla glycosides (an active principle of Mediterranean squill). While researching lysergic acid derivatives, Hofmann first synthesized LSD on 16 November 1938. The main intention of the synthesis was to obtain a respiratory and circulatory stimulant ( analeptic ) with no effects on the uterus in analogy to nikethamide (which is also a diethylamide) by introducing this functional group to lysergic acid. It
851-419: 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. Three days later, on 19 April 1943, Hofmann intentionally ingested 250 micrograms of LSD, which he thought would represent a prudently safe, small amount, but was in fact a strong dose. At first, his trip
888-559: The dreams of insulin coma therapy patients, he became interested in the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung . In 1951, at age 35, Sandison joined the staff at the Powick psychiatric hospital , a large former Victorian style ' lunatic asylum ' near Malvern, as a consultant, and set about improving the run-down facility. He described the place as 'medieval', overcrowded and run-down, the 1,000 patients were subjected to electric shock and insulin-coma therapies, and lobotomies. In 1952 during
925-688: The ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson to search for the psychoactive plant "Ska Maria Pastora" (Leaves of Mary the Shepherdess), later known as Salvia divinorum . He was able to obtain samples of it, but never succeeded in identifying its active compound, which has since been identified as salvinorin A . In 1963, Hofmann attended the annual convention of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences (WAAS) in Stockholm . Interviewed shortly before his 100th birthday, Hofmann called LSD "medicine for
962-483: The foreground. Moreover, an artistic career was tempting. In the end, however, it was a problem of theoretical knowledge which induced me to study chemistry, which was a great surprise to all who knew me. Mystical experiences in childhood, in which Nature was altered in magical ways, had provoked questions concerning the essence of the external, material world, and chemistry was the scientific field which might afford insights into this. In 1929, Hofmann became an employee of
999-418: The four large wards of the 'annexe' built in the 1890s. I discovered that the heating system was defunct, many of the internal telephones did not work, and the hospital was deeply impoverished in every department. This state of affairs had been allowed to develop by the previous medical superintendent, Dr Fenton... who had spent 43 years at Powick. He practised the utmost economy and Powick became
1036-615: The head of the Physiological Development Panel at Central Fighter Establishment in 1946, with the senior officer rank of wing commander (corresponding to the army rank of lieutenant colonel ). He continued by training as a psychiatrist at Warlingham Park Hospital , a psychiatric facility in Surrey , where he successfully completed a diploma in Psychological Medicine in 1948. While studying
1073-407: The pharmaceutical/chemical department of Sandoz Laboratories as a coworker of Arthur Stoll , founder and director of the pharmaceutical department. He began studying the medicinal plant Drimia maritima (squill) and the fungus ergot as part of a program to purify and synthesize active constituents for use as pharmaceuticals . His main contribution was to elucidate the chemical structure of
1110-485: The programme was discontinued. In an interview with Sandison, author and investigative journalist Dominic Streatfeild in research for his 2006 book Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control , reveals: "Dr Sandison was a huge help to me when I was researching ‘Brainwash’ and we spoke many times. I thought he was a wonderful, wonderful man." In 1970 the Home Office reported that there was no evidence for limiting
1147-452: The soul" and was frustrated by its worldwide prohibition. "It was used very successfully for ten years in psychoanalysis," he said, adding that the drug was misused by the counterculture of the 1960s , and then criticized unfairly by the political establishment of the day. He conceded that it could be dangerous if misused, because a relatively high dose of 500 micrograms has an extremely powerful psychoactive effect, especially if administered to
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1184-609: The study and reiterated his belief in LSD's therapeutic benefits. In 2008, he wrote to Steve Jobs , asking him to support this research; it is not known whether Jobs responded. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has supported psychoanalytic research using LSD, carrying on Hofmann's legacy and setting the groundwork for future studies. Hofmann was a longtime friend and correspondent of German author and entomologist Ernst Jünger , whom he met in 1949. Jünger experimented with LSD with Hofmann; in 1970, Jünger published
1221-618: The use of LSD for medicinal purposes. In 2002 however, in an out of court settlement the NHS accorded a total of £195,000 to 43 former patients who had received LSD treatment between1950 and 1970. Sandison moved on to work at Knowle Hospital , a former psychiatric facility near Southampton which closed in 1996. Intent on maintaining medical psychotherapy as part of the National Health Service (NHS), Sandison stimulated hospital doctors undergoing training as specialists to take
1258-409: The viewers' understanding of reality or normality. This film genre–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ronald A. Sandison Ronald Arthur Sandison (1 April 1916 – 18 June 2010) was a British psychiatrist and psychotherapist . Among his other work. he is particularly noted for his pioneering studies and use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as
1295-514: The world's first purpose-built LSD unit. The system used there by Sandison, a programme he called " Psycholytic Therapy " (literally "mind loosening therapy") for treatment of illnesses such as severe depression and schizophrenia , became the established method for LSD treatment worldwide. In 1955 Sandison addressed the American Psychiatric Association about his work and in 1961, he chaired an LSD therapy meeting at
1332-748: Was not pleasant, as people appeared to morph into fantastic creatures, office furniture moved and shifted like living entities, and he felt possessed by otherworldly forces. April 19 is now widely known as "Bicycle Day", because as Hofmann began to feel LSD's effects, he tried to ride to the safety of his home on his bike. This was the first intentional LSD trip in history. Hofmann's research with LSD influenced several psychiatrists, including Ronald A. Sandison , who developed its use in psychotherapy. Sandison's treatment at Powick Hospital in England received international acclaim. Hofmann continued to take small doses of LSD throughout his life, and always hoped to find
1369-411: Was set aside for five years, until 16 April 1943, when Hofmann reexamined it and discovered its powerful effects. He described what he felt as 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
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