Hofmann was working as a research chemist at the laboratory of
the Sandoz company in Basel, Switzerland, where he was involved
in studying the medicinal properties of plants. This eventually
led to the study of the alkaloid compounds of ergot, a fungus
which forms on rye. In the Middle Ages, ergot was implicated in
periodic outbreaks of mass poisonings, producing symptoms in two
characteristic forms: one gangrenous (ergotismus gangraenosus)
and the other convulsive (ergotismus convulsivus). Popular names
such as "mal des ardents", "ignis sacer", "heiliges feuer" and
"St Anthony's fire" refer to the gangrenous form of the
condition. Hofmann's studies led to many new discoveries, such
as Hydergine, a medicament for improving circulation and
cerebral function, and Dihydergot, a circulation and blood
pressure stabilising medicine. His interest in synthesising LSD
initially derived from the hope that it might also be useful as
a circulatory and respiratory stimulant. But when his molecule,
known as LSD-25, was tes