[Numpy-discussion] one-offset arrays

Does anyone have a simple method of using one-offset arrays? Specifically, can I define an array "a" so that a[1] refers to the first element?

Without one-offset indexing, it seems to me that Python is minimally useful for numerical computations. Many, perhaps the majority, of numerical algorithms are one-indexed. Matlab for example is one-based for this reason. In fact it seems strange to me that a "high-level" language like Python should use zero-offset lists.