H. OSMOND, COINED THE TERM `PSYCHEDELIC'

Humphry F. Osmond, the British-born psychiatrist who introduced the
word ``psychedelic'' to describe the effects of hallucinatory drugs,
died of cardiac arrhythmia Feb. 6 at his daughter's home in Appleton,
Wis. He was 86.

Dr. Osmond coined ``psychedelic'' while conducting controversial
studies on schizophrenia, a mental disorder, and alcoholism.

Starting in the late 1940s, he worked on the theory that mind-altering
substances mirror the perceptions of a schizophrenic. He administered
mescaline and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to normal volunteers --
including doctors -- so they could describe their experiences while
drugged.

In 1951 Dr. Osmond accepted an appointment at a psychiatric hospital
in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, where he and a few Canadian colleagues,
notably Abraham Hoffer, had hypothesized that schizophrenia was the
result of a body producing its own toxic compound similar to
mescaline; that, they said, caused hallucinations. They focused on
dietary-based treatments, such as adding niacin to their patients'
diets.

They extended their LSD research to alcoholics on the theory that
chronic drinkers quit only after experiencing the hallucinations of
delirium tremens. The doctors decided to use LSD to induce similar
visions, and they claimed promising results.

Among the followers of this work was Aldous Huxley, author of ``Brave
New World.'' Huxley asked if he could be a test subject. Dr. Osmond
agreed but later said he did not ``relish the possibility, however
remote, of finding a small but discreditable niche in literary history
as the man who drove Aldous Huxley mad.''

Huxley, who found the experience mystical and revelatory, wrote about
his mescaline use in the book ``The Doors of Perception'' (1954). He
and Dr. Osmond maintained a correspondence, the result of which was
the scientist's coining the word ``psychedelic'' in 1956.

Preparing for a conference, Dr. Osmond asked Huxley's advice about
describing the effects of mescaline. Huxley replied with
``phanerothyme,'' from Greek words meaning ``to show'' and ``the
spirit.'' He also contributed a rhyme: ``To make this mundane world
sublime/Take half a gram of phanerothyme.''

Dr. Osmond instead chose ``psychedelic,'' from the Greek for mind or
soul and a form of the verb ``to show,'' deloun. He added in a note
back to Huxley: ``To fathom Hell or soar angelic/Just take a pinch of
psychedelic.''

He later worked for institutes and hospitals in New Jersey and Alabama
and retired in the early 1990s.