1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello History Lovers. I'm Eves and you're listening 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class, a show that uncovers 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: history one day at a time. Today is November sixteen. 5 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: The day was November six night. Swiss chemist Dr Albert 6 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: Hoffman first synthesized like sergic acid dieta lambide, better known 7 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: as LSD, in Sandos laboratories in Fossils, Switzerland. LSD is 8 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: a psychoactive hallucinogenic drug that has since been used in 9 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: psychiatry and government research and recreationally. After Hoffman graduated from 10 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: the University of Zurich with a doctorate in medicinal chemistry, 11 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: he began working at the pharmaceutical company Sando's laboratories. In 12 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: the nineteen twenties, Sandos began produce saying drug compounds that 13 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:05,919 Speaker 1: were derived from ergic, a grain fungus. For centuries, people 14 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: had recognized the effects of ergic, which when consumed could 15 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: cause vomiting, headaches, gang greene convulsions, and hallucinations. Ergic was 16 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: also known for its medicinal properties, and Sands developed gayner Gen, 17 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:25,759 Speaker 1: a headache medicine using ergotamine isolated from ergic fungus. As 18 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: a research chemist at Sandos, Hoffman worked with lysergic acid, 19 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: a compound extracted from ergic alkaloids. He studied derivatives of 20 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: lysergic acid, and he did experiments fusing lisergic acid with 21 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: other compounds. Lysergic acid is unstable, but Hoffman managed to 22 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: synthesize a more stable synthetic version that he called lyserg 23 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: salra diathy limit on November sight. Sidera is the German 24 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: word for acid. It was numbered because it was the 25 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: twenty fifth compounded that Hoffman made for the project. LSD 26 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: twenty five did not seem like it had any useful 27 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 1: medical properties at the time, even though the research report 28 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: noted that the animals in the experiment became restless during 29 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: the narcosis. That urgate project was discontinued, but five years 30 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: after the initial discovery, Hoffman decided to return to LSD 31 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: t He later wrote, quote a peculiar presentiment. The feeling 32 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: that this substance could possess properties other than those established 33 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: in the first investigations induced me, five years after the 34 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: first synthesis, to produce LSD once again, so that a 35 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: sample could be given to the pharmacological department for further tests. 36 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: In ninety three, as he searched for substances that could 37 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: work as circulatory or respiratory stimulants, he synthesized LSD again. 38 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,679 Speaker 1: That April, Hoffman accidentally absorbed a dose of LSD while 39 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: working in the lab. Three days later, he intentionally ingested 40 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: LSD so he could test its effects. Soon after he 41 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: took the dose, he wrote in his journal that he 42 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: felt dizziness, anxiety, symptoms of paralysis, and a desire to laugh, 43 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: and that he saw visual distortions. He asked his lab 44 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: assistant to escort him home, and they left the lab 45 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: on a bicycle since there were wartime restrictions on cars. 46 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: Once home, Hoffman said that the room spun furniture appeared 47 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: threatening and his neighbor had transformed into a quote malevolent 48 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: and studious wick. The zero point to five milligram dose 49 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: he had taken was around ten times larger than the 50 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: threshold dose he should have taken, so the effects were intense. 51 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: Hoffman wrote a report incented to his supervisors. Other employees 52 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: tried LSD, and soon it was determined to be a 53 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: non toxic psychotropic compound and Hoffman continued to dose himself, 54 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: convinced it could be useful in psychiatric treatment. In nineteen 55 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: forty seven, Sandos began offering LSD to researchers and medical 56 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: professionals under the brand name Delsit for experimental trials. Psychiatry 57 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: and psychotherapy professionals as well as Hoffman himself, had hoped 58 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: that the drug could be useful in therapeutic treatments for 59 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,600 Speaker 1: people with schizophrenia. Military officials working with the Central Intelligence 60 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: Agency in the US also experimented with LSD in Project 61 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: mk Ultra, a program developed to figure out procedures for 62 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:34,239 Speaker 1: interrogation and mind control. When casual recreational use of LSD 63 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: picked up in the nineteen sixties, Hoffmann criticized misuse of 64 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 1: the drug, which was often taken without supervision or in 65 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 1: dangerous amounts and manufactured in poor conditions. Though it's relatively 66 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: non toxic and non addictive, many governments around the world 67 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: banned LSD after deaths related to his use were reported 68 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,239 Speaker 1: and it was found to post psychological risk for people 69 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 1: susceptible to psychosis. Scientific trials of LSD were shut down. 70 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Jeff Coote and hopefully you know a little 71 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. If you 72 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: have any burning questions or comments, you can leave us 73 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: a note at t d i h Z Podcast on Twitter, Facebook, 74 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: or Instagram. If emails your thing, send us a note 75 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,799 Speaker 1: at this Day at i heeart media dot com. Thanks 76 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: again for listening, and we'll see you tomorrow. For more 77 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 78 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.