Bicycle Day

As he toiled away in his lab in Basel, Switzerland operating on an inexplicable hunch during April of 1943, Dr. Albert Hofmann could never have imagined what he was working towards, not only for his mind, spirituality, and career, but the scientific and cultural communities of the world as a whole. Shortly after a minor lab accident on April 16, 1943 in which he spilled a minuscule amount of one of the compounds he was synthesizing and studying Hofmann became the first man to experience the effects of one of the world's most potent and influential psychoactive drugs. 

The chemical he had spilled was named LSD-25 by Hofmann himself five years prior when he had first synthesized it during a series of experiments conducted to investigate lysergic acid derivatives, primarily for use in circulatory medications. While his employer, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, eventually distanced themselves from the creation and advancement of LSD-25 as a psychedelic drug, it was in their labs and under their research directives that the compound was first created as an innocuous (and presumably ineffective) sample before being filed away and forgotten. 

After accidentally dosing himself with LSD on the 16th, Dr. Hofmann theorized based on his minimal exposure that the threshold dose (the dosage required for any detectable effects) for this substance was likely below one milligram, entering into microgram dosages. At the time, dosages on the order of tens of micrograms were actually unheard of, and Hofmann planned to ingest 0.25mg (250 micrograms) of LSD-25, believing this to be close to the threshold dose. In reality the threshold dose is around 20 micrograms, about 1/12th of what he ingested, and on April 19th, 1943 within an hour after consuming the LSD he was experiencing the profound effects of his experiment. 

As the world's first intentional acid trip began to rear its head, the professor's research assistant began to escort him home. As the usage of motor vehicles was limited at this time due to wartime restrictions during WWII, the journey was made via bicycle ride. On his way home, Hofmann's reality began to unravel as he experienced bouts of anxiety, paranoia, confusion and fear, eventually giving way to serendipitous peace as, in his own words:

Little by little I could begin to enjoy the unprecedented colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind my closed eyes. Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me, alternating, variegated, opening and then closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux... 

After some rest, relaxation, and self-experimentation Dr. Hofmann had immediately recognized the incredible implications and potential such a discovery might have in psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience alone, without even touching on the secondary and tertiary effects that might (and would) trickle down to society the way innovations often do following such a breakthrough. 

Further posts for Psychedelics, Moving Forward will likely explore the impacts of the first psychedelic revolution, discuss the importance and role of psychedelics in the modern world, make the case for the legalization and integration of psychedelics into society, and more. 

Part 2 will begin exploring the initial injections of LSD into society and the reactions, both good and bad, the world had to Hofmann's awe-inspiring discovery.