The woman who re-discovered MDMA

March 2, 2010 9:04 AM

Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin is primarily credited with the popularization of MDMA, also known as Ecstacy. But he was actually introduced to it by a woman named Merrie Kleinman, who was reportedly a graduate student in the medicinal chemistry group Shulgin advised at San Francisco State University. Whatever happened to Merrie (Meredith?) Kleinman? The Interwebs have little information about her.
posted by Asparagirl to Society & Culture (10 answers total)

Best answer: She is not listed in the acknowledgments section of his landmark work PHIKAL, a section where many people are listed merely as "personal communication". The header to that section alludes to the fact that many people did not want their names associated with his work so publicly, to whom he says "We appreciate your contributions and respect your privacy", so the lack of info may be intentional.

Here is the entirety of her mention in the book's section on MDMA

"One of these was a dear, dear sprite appropriately named Merrie Kleinman, who told me that she had done an experiment with two very close friends of hers, and that they had used 100 milligrams of N-methylated MDA (MDMA). She shared very little about the experience, but implied that it was quite emotional, and that there had been a basically good reaction from all three of them."
This was not the first time I had heard mention of MDMA. In fact I had synthesized it back at Dole in 1965 but had never before met someone who had personally tried it."

and more importantly, from the preface,

"Most of the names in this story have been changed to protect personal privacy and to allow us freedom in the telling of our tale."

Together, all of it implies to me that Merrie is just a synonym, and with Sasha gone, it's unlikely we will ever know who she really was.
posted by No1UKnow at 9:55 AM on March 2, 2010 [1 favorite]

and with Sasha gone, it's unlikely we will ever know who she really was.

Sasha's dead? Not as per Wikipedia.

Also, doing a search at MAPS brings up an essay, per which, she was a graduate student at UCSF, not SFSU. She will likely be a co-author on at least a few papers in medicinal chemistry published in late 60s. Find the papers published out of UCSF in MC from that time, and pare it down. But the information doesn't seem publicly available.
posted by daksya at 10:03 AM on March 2, 2010

Best answer: Confirming Sasha Shulgin is not gone.

Also recommending asking the folks at MAPS directly. Rick Doblin seems to know everyone.
posted by gingerbeer at 12:08 PM on March 2, 2010

Side note: Marc Almond's superb autobiography "Tainted Life" has much on the genesis of ecstacy.
posted by eccnineten at 12:16 PM on March 2, 2010

d'oh, y'all are right on his liveliness, I was confusing him with Terrance McKenna for some reason
posted by No1UKnow at 8:57 AM on March 3, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks, guys. I have e-mailed the folks at MAPS and am awaiting a reply. And I do agree that "Merrie Kleinman" is probably a pseudonym for an unknown happy, short, female chemist who is probably in her mid 60's by now -- who deserves a lot of very belated fame, praise, and thanks from hundreds of thousands of people around the world. I hope that someday she will break her silence and tell her story.
posted by Asparagirl at 9:37 AM on March 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

I don't often quote Daniel Pinchbeck, but he was spot on when he told me that

"Sasha Shulgin is the nearest thing to an incarnation of Merlin the Wizard that this generation will see".

We're lucky to have him around.
posted by lalochezia at 11:40 AM on March 3, 2010

Best answer: I just heard back from the guys at MAPS:

"We spoke to Sasha and learned that Merrie Kleinman is a pseudonym. The identity of the person will never be revealed.

Sorry!"

*sigh*
posted by Asparagirl at 3:44 PM on March 8, 2010 [2 favorites]

Really glad they were able to help!
posted by gingerbeer at 4:00 PM on March 8, 2010

FYI, there's a documentary on Shulgin at SXSW.
posted by gingerbeer at 10:01 PM on March 8, 2010