Albert Hofmann - An Event of the Century!

On January 11th, 2006, Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Albert Hofmann, Honorary Member of the Society for Medicinal Plant Research and of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, had the good fortune to celebrate his 100th birthday, and what else, if not this event, would be a perfect reason for cordial congratulations![*] [*]

”It is said and written again and again, that LSD was a pure chance discovery. This is only partly correct…” Hofmann writes in his well known book: ”LSD - my problem child”. This, because LSD was produced during the course of a well planned research project aiming at improved medicinal agents, and it was only five years later, in 1943, when he experienced by chance the unexpected hallucinogenic effects of the substance. Thus, the term ”serendipity”, which he himself likes very much, is more appropriate for his discovery: to find something, which you were not looking for, but by chance and perspicacity, you come upon something that was completely unexpected. As a result, Albert Hofmann became famous throughout the world as the inventor of LSD, a substance, which influenced millions of people, and has had an impact upon thousands of lives. Despite many studies which promised the usefulness of LSD as an aid in psychotherapy, due to its misuse and as a psychedelic substance, it has become illegal almost worldwide. This provides an explanation for Dr.Hofmann's concern and chagrin regarding his ”problem child”.

Hofmann's interest in the chemistry of natural compounds dates back to his childhood, when as a boy he already showed great interest in plants. Later in his doctoral thesis with Paul Karrer he succeeded in degrading chitin by means of snail enzyme. After completing his studies of chemistry at the University of Zürich in 1929, Dr. Hofmann chose a position in the pharmaceutical-chemical research laboratory of Sandoz, Basel, as a co-worker of Prof. Arthur Stoll. Stoll at that time was attempting to isolate sensitive substances from medicinal plants in their genuine state using special mild conditions. Indeed a new area of cardiac glycoside research had been initiated by him and his research group. Hofmann very enthusiastically dedicated his first years of research to the successful isolation and structure elucidation of cardiac glycosides from squill (”Scilla maritima”), and obtained the first crystalline product, scillaren A.

Looking for a new research topic, Hofmann proposed in 1935 to take up work on ergot alkaloids again, following the isolation of ergotamine by Stoll in 1918. In addition to the systematic study of these alkaloids, this decision produced a number of research activities, including the isolation and chemical modification of numerous substances, the development of valuable medicinal agents such as hydergine and dihydergot, and eventually the synthesis of LSD. Later, starting around 1950 to 1960 Hofmann's interest in hallucinogenic substances led to the isolation, structure elucidation and testing of the active principles of the Mexican magic mushrooms (”Teonanacatl”), i. e. the indole alkaloids psilocin and psilocybin. Additionally, from the ”Narcotic Ololiuqui of the Aztecs” or the seeds of various Convolvulaceae-plants, surprisingly lysergic acid derivatives were detected for the first time in higher plants. All this work was done performing ”heroic” classical natural products chemistry without the benefit of the sophisticated modern tools of chemistry that are readily available nowadays!

One can no doubt imagine, that Dr. Hofmann's career and personal life has been deeply influenced and determined by his discoveries of genuine plant substances and their derivatives and their broad impact on human beings as part of nature or even cosmos, be it as medicinal agents or as useful or misused hallucinogens. And it is very well understandable, that he has not remained with pure chemistry, but consequently began asking questions which always dealt with reality in its various aspects. As Dr. Hofmann said in his book ”Insight Outlook”: ”By observing natural scientific discoveries through a perception deepened by meditation, we can develop a new awareness of reality.” He goes on to clarify this by saying that ”It is essential to recognize that the one-sided belief in the natural scientific view of life is based on a momentous error. Certainly, everything it contains is true, but this only represents half of reality;… All of the spiritual dimensions that cannot be described in physical or chemical terms, which include the most important characteristics of that which is living, are absent”.

With all his modesty as a person, Albert Hofmann has received numerous awards and honours, his three honorary doctorates from Stockholm, Zürich, and Berlin as just some examples. The Society for Medicinal Plant Research is proud to have appointed Dr. Hofmann as an Honorary Member in 1977, ”rewarding him for his outstanding and successful research especially on cardiac glycosides from Urginea maritima as well as on ergot and Rauwolfia alkaloids including the synthesis of LSD and the discovery of its psychotropic activities”. Reading his books we think of him as a great man, indeed a figure for the century, not only as part of the history of medicinal plant research, but as well as an example for anyone looking at nature and reality not exclusively just from a single, materialistic point of view.

Our best wishes for continued joy and contentment for a life well-lived!

Wolfgang Kubelka, Vienna

Rudolf, Bauer, Graz

2006 The photograph was kindly provided by Lucius Werthmüller, Basel, Switzerland.