The Week in Death: Alexander Shulgrin, Who Synthesized the Drug Ecstasy
Psychopharmacologist
An American chemist known as the ‘Godfather of Psychedelics,’ Alexander Shulgin originally promoted the drug now known as Ecstasy as an aid to talk therapy.
Alexander Shulgin, June 17, 1925—June 2, 2014 Alexander Shulgin, who has died aged 88, was an American chemist known as the “Godfather of Psychedelics.” In his psychopharmacological studies, Shulgin used himself as a guinea pig to analyze human reactions to more than 200 psychoactive compounds.
