Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25) can cause chromosomal abnormalities in human leukocytes, as shown by in vitro and in vivo studies. This report extends earlier observations with additional in vitro findings and a larger sample of patients. The study examined peripheral leukocyte cultures from six healthy individuals to assess chromosomal aberrations induced by LSD.
A sudden increase in psychiatric admissions at Bellevue Hospital following LSD ingestion prompted a review of the history of the drug. Medical research typically progresses from clinical observation to laboratory experiment, but drugs like LSD, first synthesized in the lab, can create new clinical syndromes or etiologies of old syndromes as by-products of abuse or physician error. The text describes this pattern of discovery and the clinical consequences of LSD use.