Overview

As scientific knowledge increased, our concepts of the human body have gone through a transformation. The nineteenth-century "Concept of Internal Secretions" gave way to a more thorough understanding of bodily secretions. When this information was combined with seemingly unrelated ideas and discoveries it evolved into the branch of medical science called endocrinology. Although there was significant work done in this area prior to the twentieth century, and some of this information dates to antiquity, endocrinology really did not blossom as a science until the turn of the century.

Background

Endocrinology is a branch of medicine that studies the role of hormones and other biochemical mediators in regulating bodily functions. It further provides treatment methods when hormone levels become unbalanced. The properly functioning endocrine system includes tissues and glands that secrete chemical mediators directly...