God bless mellow yellow (9)

The man who invented the stuff had a lot to answer for. He was a Swiss chemist called Albert Hoffman, and he died on Tuesday morning.

The fact that he reached the age of 102 seems a tribute to the efficacy of his invention. But its importance to the 20th century isn't as a therapeutic medical treatment. It may have altered some lives for the better, but its real importance is cultural.

For LSD gave the Sixties a brand-new concept to embrace and apply to every area of life, especially the arts: psychedelia. The word was spelt wrongly – it should, strictly, be psychodelia – but its meaning was clear.

It meant the making-visible of the soul: opening up your inner, half-glimpsed metaphysical self for inspection while in a state of profound relaxation and pleasure.

He took the drug by mistake.

There were many experiments done with LSD; however the possible side-effects were noted to be VERY dangerous..and while, for some, the hallucinations were wonderful for others the hallucinations were terrifying nightmares - plus, I believe, people could spontaneously 'trip' months or even years after taking LSD - not a good idea while driving a car or flying a plane.

Maybe taking LSD explains a significant percentage of UFO sightings - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?

I am no chemist, but if it helped him to 102 ... :D

Your reasoning is FLAWED!

He lived to be 101 or 103 DESPITE having taken LSD!

Is it despite or because?

You don't know, but you assumed because it suited you to asumme so............

assume*

Semantics, isn't it?
I hypothesised, you made a statement.
Though it is not my native language, you know better.
However, I still think it greatly influenced our culture [movies, music, literature, design] :D