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DMT. It was in deference to this report that I was so cautious about heart function in all prospective volunteers.’ PROLOGUE * 7 this was to psychiatric patients, not normal volunteers.” That 1950s project studied severely impaired patients with schizophrenia, most of whom were unable to report much about their experiences. In fact, one unfortunate woman's pulse was not detectable for a short while after she received IV Dr. W. recommended trying about one-fifth the IM dose when switch- ing to the IV route. "That will probably give you lower blood and brain levels of DMT than you produced by giving it intramuscularly, and you should have some room to maneuver," he said. "You probably won't over- dose anyone this way." In our case, that meant converting the IM dose of 1 mg/kg to 0.2 mg/kg intravenous DMT. Philip and Nils both had eagerly volunteered for this new and uncharted phase of the research: finding a satisfactory dose of IV DMT in normal volunteers. Since both had smoked DMT previously, we would be able to compare directly the effects of [V to smoked drug. And, in Philip's case, we could compare IV to IM routes. Nils was thirty-six years old when he began in our research. As a younger man, Nils had enlisted in the Army, desiring to specialize in explosives. However, he quickly saw that he was unfit for the armed ser- vices, and he applied for an early discharge for psychological reasons. Philip happened to be the psychologist who performed this evaluation on Nils, and they had remained friends afterward. Nils was keenly interested in mind-altering drugs and always was look- ing for a neglected plant or animal product that might produce such effects. He had written several popular pamphlets, including one announcing his discovery of the psychedelic properties of the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad. This venom contains high levels of 5-methoxy-DMT, a compound closely related to DMT. When smoked, this toad product is quite impressive. Nils was a long and lanky fellow, charming and fun to be around. He had taken LSD many times, having "lost track after the 150th dose." The first time he had smoked DMT, at Philip's house the year before, he was powerfully moved. He said,