Albert Hofmann died unhappy with LSD, His Problem Child!

“This joy at having fathered LSD was tarnished when LSD was swept up in the huge wave of an inebriant mania” Albert Hofmann wrote in his book LSD: My Problem Child. He died on 29th April and was 102 years old.

It is a common perception that LSD was invented by mistake but Albert Hofmann denies it vehemently. He says, “Time and again I hear or read that LSD was discovered by accident. This is only partly true. LSD came into being within a systematic research program, and the “accident” did not occur until much later: when LSD was already five years old, I happened to experience its unforeseeable effects in my own body—or rather, in my own mind.

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 the LSD, he accidentally consumed a small sample and serendipitously discovered its powerful effects. Three days later, on April 19, Hofmann deliberately consumed 250 micrograms of LSD before his bicycle ride home. This was followed by a series of self-experiments conducted by Hofmann and his colleagues. This is how LSD came into being.

His foundation homepage www.hofmann.org reads” It saddens us to confirm that Dr. Albert Hofmann passed away at his home in Burg outside of Basel, Switzerland today, April 29 2008 at the age of 102 years. Dr. Hofmann was at his home with two of his care takers, he passed away at 9am local time. Dr Hofmann follows his late wife Anita, who passed away this past December.”