Dr. Albert Hofmann celebrated his 100th birthday on 11 January 2006 in grand style. The Gaia Media Foundation staged an International Symposium in Basel, Switzerland, on the occasion of his 100th Birthday. They brought 2000 people from all over the world together to discuss LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), the drug that changed the world.
"Uncle Albert" (from the Beatles tune) discovered the mind-altering affects of the drug LSD in 1943 when a chemist in the old Sandoz lab where they worked had a "vorgefühl", loosely translated that's Swiss German for an insightful feeling that something is about to happen. It was originally used to help the psychoanalysis of patients that would not engage in conversation.
LSD later became the drug of choice during the 60's by anyone looking for a mind-expanding experience. Timothy Leary, a psychology professor at Harvard and an early adopter of LSD, experimented with the drug during the 60's on prisoners and himself to explore it's mind-altering effects in controlled environments. He eventually consumed more than 5000 documented hits of acid during his lifetime. He even testified at Senate hearings about the effects and impact of the drug. Because of this, the USA banned the drug completely, including for therapic use.
Hofmann would like to see that US sanction reversed.
Hofmann called LSD "his problem child". Have a read through his papers on "LSD - My Problem Child".
Happy birthday, "Uncle Albert" - and thank you for a gift that opened may minds to new states of consciousness.
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