Serendipity
In Cliché, Gorturuge says, “I do not feel my mind is spiraling, no dark, no cold. Nothing is changing. My emotions are not eating my soul; they have already feasted on yours. I am not driven mad by love, no writings of a cliché. Life is a cliché.” Gorturuge expresses his feelings towards popular drugs by writing eloquent poetry. Cliché was written about his favorite, LSD. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) more commonly known in our culture as “acid,” belongs to a group of illicit drugs classified as hallucinogens.
Over its seventy-one years of existence, LSD has made a lasting impression on our lives. From its history towards its legacy, LSD has in some way influenced the way we live. First LSD’S accidental discovery is still being discussed by scientists. Secondly, neurological studies performed with LSD showed promising hope for cures of the mental diseases. Lastly, the Drug Laws that ended hopeful medical discoveries and its relationship with psychiatrists today.
LSD derives from Ergot, a parasitic fungus of the genus Claviceps purpurea that grows on wild grasses, corn, rye and other grain producing plants. Kernels infected by this fungus grow into light brown curved “pegs” that stick out of the cornhusk. During the Middle Ages, midwives
would ingest ergot to speed up childbirth. In the 18th century, chemists studied how ergot affected childbirth and soon later, ergot became the source of many studies.
In 1917, Professor Arthur Stoll founded the Sandoz Company’s pharmaceutical department, and ergot research became a main topic in his Basel, Switzerland lab. At about this time, Sandoz chemist Albert Hoffman finished other work and asked Stoll if he could work with ergot. His first goal was to partially synthesize ergo basin. Ergo basin’s chemical structure was lysergic acid propanolamide, and Lysergic acid was the “common nucleus” of all medicinally important ergot alkaloids. The same process could be used to chemically modify the natural...