This essay, which tells the story of the inventor of LSD and his ‘problem child's' turbulent history, is taken from Hofmann's Elixir: LSD and the New Eleusis. It first appeared on brainwaving.com

If, as Albert Hofmann believes, it was not he who discovered LSD, but rather LSD that found him, then indeed it chose wisely. For, as those who know him are aware, Albert and his Wunderkind are a very well-matched pair. It is a rare thing in the modern world, or in any world, for a man to live beyond a century. But to live so long with senses so intact and above all with his luminous intellect undimmed, is so exceptional as to suggest a strikingly remarkable individual. He takes pride in the collage, made by an admirer, juxtaposing portraits of Newton, Einstein and Hofmann, three men who have fundamentally transformed the way we conceive reality. Apart from his scientific achievements, it is his personal qualities -- the nobility of his character, the humanity and breadth of his vision, and his humility and awe before the beauty of Creation -- that mark him out as an outstanding natural philosopher.

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