John C. Lilly was an American physician and neuroscientist who developed the first modern isolation tank in 1954 to study a mind deprived of external stimulation. He later established a partially flooded laboratory in the Virgin Islands, where NASA-supported researchers attempted to teach dolphins spoken English. Lilly believed communication with another species might prepare humanity for contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. His later investigations became increasingly cosmic, including reported contact with an organization he called the Earth Coincidence Control Office. The isolation tank survived as a wellness device. The dolphin-English programme did not.
John C. Lilly
