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Epileptic Disorders

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This volume of Epileptic Disorders is dedicated to Hermann Doose Volume 2, supplement 4, Supplément 1, Décembre 2000

On the first day of the symposium Hermann Doose participated, and contributed a paper, which can be read here. Although it is unusual to honour a participant, at the end of the symposium the participants proposed dedicating the publication of the symposium in this volume to him.

Hermann Doose devoted his scientific life to the epileptology of childhood and adolescence. In the 1950s electroencephalography (EEG) was a method as exciting as the methods used in molecular genetics, neuroimaging and biochemistry nowadays. He started to perform family analyses of EEG patterns, driving through the communities with an EEG machine in a small bus and performing exact recordings of multiplex families. Idiopathic theta-rhythms (as a pro-convulsive genetic EEG pattern), myoclonic astatic epilepsy, "Pseudo-Lennox-Syndrome", hereditary impairment of brain maturation (both the latter presented in this volume), therapeutic "reinventions'' of the beneficial sulthiam treatment of rolandic epilepsy, and bromide treatment of severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy are some of the many findings, terms and concepts described and coined by him. The debate on the validity and implications of the concepts is still ongoing. Ongoing also is the search for informative families with certain EEG patterns related to epilepsy. Based on Doose's collection of informative families, studies on the genetics of rolandic sharp waves [1] and photosensitivity [2] were able to be successfully continued in recent times.

Doose refused to accept public honour during his tenure at the university or during the period of his retirement. He fought the announcement of his birthday during the symposium. It is possible that he even dislikes this dedication, but this does not prevent us from honouring his work, his contributions to epileptology, and the man behind them.