Introduction

This chapter provides a succinct historical review of our understanding of status epilepticus (SE). It begins with the clinical studies that led to the identification of the different forms of SE. It then takes up questions that have been addressed by experimental studies, and thereby provides an overview of the key themes of the book. In preparing this chapter I have benefited from information presented at the Marseille Colloquia (28, 56), from the volume that preceded this one (18), and especially from the book on SE by Simon Shorvon (73).