Three days in Madison have thoroughly modified my view on clostridial neurotoxins. While still realizing the numerous activating, modifying and protective inputs, I cannot judge the meaningfulness of the meeting impartially. Neither may the reader expect a complete summary of all presentations. Collected in this volume, they speak for themselves without requiring an arbiter. Instead I shall write down my very personal opinions as a researcher who has studied clostridial neurotoxins for nearly 25 years. Comparable conferences have been rare during this time. A comprehensive symposium 4 on C....