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Alexander Theodore Shulgin (June 17, 1925 June 2, 2014) — known informally as Sasha Shulgin — was an American medicinal chemist, biochemist, pharmacologist, psychopharmacologist, and author. Shulgin is credited with introducing MDMA (ecstasy) to psychologists in the late 1970s for psychopharmaceutical use. He discovered, synthesized, and personally bioassayed over 230 psychoactive compounds, and evaluated them for their psychedelic and/or entactogenic potential. In 1991 and 1997, he and his wife Ann Shulgin authored the books ''PIHKAL'' and ''TIHKAL'' (standing for ''Phenethylamines'' and ''Tryptamines I Have Known And Loved''), which extensively described their work and personal experiences with these two classes of psychoactive drugs. Shulgin performed seminal work into the descriptive synthesis of many of these compounds. Some of Shulgin's noteworthy discoveries include compounds of the 2C * family (such as 2C-B) and compounds of the DOx family (such as DOM). Due in part to Shulgin's extensive work in the field of psychedelic research and the rational drug design of psychedelic drugs, he has since been dubbed the "godfather of psychedelics". ==Life and career== Shulgin was born in Berkeley, California〔Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905–1995 (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.〕 to Theodore Stevens Shulgin (1893–1978)〔Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940–1997 (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: State of California. California Death Index, 1940–1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.〕 and Henrietta D. (Aten) Shulgin (1894–1960).〔Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940–1997 (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: State of California. California Death Index, 1940–1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.〕 His father was born in Russia, while his mother was born in Illinois. Both Theodore and Henrietta were public school teachers in Alameda County.〔Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Berkeley, Alameda, California; Roll 111; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 320; File: 1029.0.〕 Shulgin began studying organic chemistry as a Harvard University scholarship student at the age of 16. In 1943, he dropped out of school to join the U.S. Navy, where he would eventually become interested in psychopharmacology. While in the Navy, Shulgin was given a glass of orange juice by a military nurse prior to surgery for a thumb infection. Shulgin drank the juice assuming that it contained a narcotic, then fell asleep rapidly. Upon waking, however, he learned that no psychoactive drug had been present in the juice. The experience made him aware of the influence of placebos over the human mind.〔 〕 After serving in the Navy (a veteran of World War II), he returned to Berkeley, California, and in 1954 earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Through the late 1950s, Shulgin completed post-doctoral work in the fields of psychiatry and pharmacology at University of California, San Francisco. After working at Bio-Rad Laboratories as a research director for a brief period, he began work at Dow Chemical Company as a senior research chemist.〔 It was at this time that he had a series of psychedelic experiences that helped to shape his further goals and research, the first of which was brought on by mescaline.〔 〕 "I first explored mescaline in the late '50s.... Three-hundred-fifty to 400 milligrams. I learned there was a great deal inside me."〔 Shulgin later reported personal revelations that "had been brought about by a fraction of a gram of a white solid, but that in no way whatsoever could it be argued that these memories had been contained within the white solid ... I understood that our entire universe is contained in the mind and the spirit. We may choose not to find access to it, we may even deny its existence, but it is indeed there inside us, and there are chemicals that can catalyze its availability."〔 Shulgin's professional activities continued to lean in the direction of psychopharmacology, furthered by his personal experiences with psychedelics. But during this period he was unable to do much independent research. His opportunity for further research came following his development of Zectran, the first biodegradable pesticide, a highly profitable product. In his book ''PIHKAL'', Shulgin limits his pesticide days at Dow Chemical to one sentence in 978 pages. However, Dow Chemical Company, in return for Zectran's valuable patent, gave Shulgin great freedom. During this time, he created and patented drugs when Dow asked, and published findings on other drugs in journals such as ''Nature'' and the ''Journal of Organic Chemistry''. Eventually, Dow Chemical requested that he no longer use their name on his publications.〔 In late 1966, Shulgin left Dow in order to pursue his own interests. He first spent two years studying neurology at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, leaving to work on a consulting project. He set up a home-based lab on his property, known as "the Farm", and became a private consultant. He also taught classes in the local universities and at the San Francisco General Hospital. Through his friend Bob Sager, head of the U.S. DEA's Western Laboratories, Shulgin formed a relationship with the DEA and began holding pharmacology seminars for the agents, supplying the DEA with samples of various compounds, and occasionally serving as an expert witness in court. In 1988, he authored a then-definitive law enforcement reference book〔 〕 on controlled substances, and received several awards from the DEA.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alexander Shulgin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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