One of my favorite scientists died today (June 3rd) - Alexander "Sasha" Schulgin....The "Father of Ecstasy"

One of my favorite people I had the privilege to work with died today.

Alexander (Sasha) Shulgin was a dear friend, a smart chemist, a deeply dedicated scientist and questioner of Nature and especially "the Brain". We worked together with a Team at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory under Dr Thomas Budinger and Dr Tony Sargent in studying patients afflicted with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's Disease, Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, stroke, and blood flow abnormalities and he helped develop radioisotopic drugs to image the brain's regional metabolism. These tools back then were quite primitive to today's drugs and imaging instruments. Sasha will be missed and, yes...he was called "The Father of Ecstasy" and many other hallucinogenic drugs which at the time in the mid-70's to mid 80's, and in Berkeley, were all headline drugs of interest. In truth, he made many of the "tools" we now use to investigate these emotionally taxing and personality sapping diseases. In a missed opportunity, I did need to include him in my dedication of my Imaging book that was published last Nov. I do it now, here. Rest in peace, Sasha, your very active mind can now take a rest. You will be missed.

One of his quotes: “How long will this last, this delicious feeling of being alive, of having penetrated the veil which hides beauty and the wonders of celestial vistas? It doesn't matter, as there can be nothing but gratitude for even a glimpse of what exists for those who can become open to it.”

― Alexander Shulgin, Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story

http://www.euronews.com/2014/06/03/godfather-of-ecstasy-alexander-sasha-shulgin-dies-at-age-88/