|
|
The first man ever to take an LSD `trip' was a Swiss chemist called Albert Hoffman. In 1943, he was working for the Sandoz drug company in Basel, conducting tests in the search for a migraine cure. As part of his research, he synthesised lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and the chemical was accidentally absorbed through his fingertips. Shortly afterwards the mind-bending sensations began, and Bert experienced a powerful series of psychedelic pictures and a dreamlike state. His next excursion with the drug was a deliberate experiment and produced the world's first bad acid trip. After taking the drug, Bert thought a demon had invaded his body and that his neighbour was a witch. With these astonishing credentials, it wasn't long before the drug was taken up by writers and artists, such as Aldous Huxley, who saw it as a creative and elevating force, and a pretty nifty way to have fun with the neighbours. Seventeen years later the sixties occurred, and then we got MTV. |