Heffter Research Institute Update Heffter Research Institute Update
Dr. David Nichols

Dr. David Nichols
Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907
email: drdave@pharmacy.purdue.edu

In the nearly three years since our incorporation, the board members have discovered how much work is involved in trying to set up a research institute from scratch! We have made a good deal of progress, but things always seem to go more slowly than you hoped they would. We now have a home page on the web (http://www.heffter.org/) that gives everyone access to information about the Heffter Institute. Our targeted research projects can be found there, along with the other literature we've put together. We have had several informational receptions for interested folks, and have been able to introduce ourselves at a number of meetings, including the recent Worlds of Consciousness conference in Heidelberg. More and more people are hearing about us. We have developed a very impressive scientific advisory panel, that includes a number of world famous scientists. Many others with specific types of expertise have offered to serve as special consultants. This summer we hope to put together the first edition of a psychedelic review journal. Numerous volunteers have come forward willing to help with things like artwork, grass-roots solicitations, desktop publishing, mailing, etc., and of course we've enjoyed the support of MAPS and the Hofmann Foundation. Many people are poised to jump on board and help as soon as the ship is ready to sail!

The educational mission

Because lots of people have now heard of us, many of whom have visited our web site, we've been fielding many questions related to psychedelic drugs. In a real sense, many on the board have become resource contacts for people who want answers but don't know where to get them. The Heffter Board considers public education to be one of our important missions, and it is satisfying, if time consuming, to be able to help in this way.

Fund-raising challenges

We are now wrestling with the concept of major fund-raising. How does a small group of scientists raise a few million dollars? The answer is, weÕre not sure, and no one else seems to know either! For the present weÕve been "networking" and spreading the word of our mission and our needs. I think we've all been secretly hoping that a major donor would suddenly emerge, but alas that isn't what happens in real life. We do need to make sure our message gets out so that the right people are aware of us. We are indebted to MAPS for allowing us to use their newsletter as a vehicle to help with that need. Nevertheless, if you know someone who is in a position to make a significant contribution to our mission of research with psychedelics, but youÕve been hesitant until now to recommend us, I think our "fledgling" period has passed. We may not yet have much in resources, but all the other pieces are in place and we are ready to move. We have even been offered the services of an architect to help design the building!

We do have a public service educational mission, and since we founded the Heffter Institute I am sure that more people are familiar with the name Arthur Heffter than have been at any time in the recent past. When we chose to name the institute after Dr. Heffter, we knew very little about him other than his role in the discovery of mescaline. Once we had a more complete biographical sketch of him, however, he proved to be a superb choice. What I would like to share with you in the remainder of this article is a shortened form of Dr. Heffter's biography. This version is adapted from the one in our printed Institute brochure; the complete biography is posted at our home page on the world wide web. We all owe Dr. Arthur Heffter a debt of gratitude for his very early work.

The Institute's namesake: Dr. Heffter

Dr. Arthur Heffter (1859-1925) was a brilliant scientist who lived during the classical period of pharmacology. His training, a Ph.D. in chemistry, an M.D. degree, and a Ph.D. in pharmacology, was no small accomplishment in any age! His particular importance to our Institute was his discovery, published in 1897, that mescaline was the psychedelic component in the peyote cactus, Lophophora williamsii. This feat required not only careful science, but also some courageous self-experiments. That particular study has been characterized as among the best pharmacological work produced up to that time!

On the other hand, the sheer number and importance of all the things he did dwarf any single accomplishment. He extensively studied metabolism, toxicology, and natural products and published widely. He was highly respected as a public health expert, and much sought after for his opinions and ideas. He was interested in industrial hygiene and public health and studied the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of iodine, lithium, mercury, quinine, and arsenic, to name but a few. Indeed, it was he who discovered that arsenic could be detected in hair, and developed the forensic analysis through which one could show whether someone had been poisoned with arsenic!

Heffter held the chair of Pharmacology at the University of Berlin from 1908 until 1925, the most prestigious position in the whole German empire, was elected Dean of the Medical Faculty there in 1915 and was then made Rector of the University of Berlin in 1922. In the United States, this would be equivalent to being a University President, and in Germany this was a powerful and prestigious appointment. Dr. Heffter was the first chairman of the German Society of Pharmacologists, and was later responsible for formulating a plan to publish the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology. This book, published after his death, summarized everything that was known in pharmacology at that time. The series continues to be published up to the present. Indeed, 1997 will mark the publication of a volume in the series dedicated entirely to serotonin, including chapters focused on the effects of hallucinogens on brain serotonin systems. This seems a fitting tribute on the 100th anniversary of the publication of the discovery of mescaline!

From a personal perspective, Arthur Heffter was a kind and gentle man, and was also very modest. He was much admired by his students, and as one of them remarked, "He did not throw his weight around to impress others." He had a particular love for music, and those close to him found him warm and endearing. We believe it most fitting that our institute is named in honor of this brilliant, yet humble and kind human being, Dr. Heffter, and are pleased that we are also able to provide some long-delayed recognition of his considerable achievements in science and toxicology.