Abstract: Much of the knowledge regarding the function of the endocrine system derives from disease states in which either the hormone is over expressed (e.g., hyperthyroid, Cushing's disease) or the gland is destroyed (e.g., type 1 insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Addison's disease). Once the physiologic effect of the hormone is established, it is possible to administer the hormones to animals or patients with the hormonal defect to establish the role of that particular hormone in maintaining an important aspect of homeostasis. The unraveling of the role of the pancreas in regulating blood glucose concentrations in the latter half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries is the classic example of this approach. This approach has led to the successful treatment of individuals with insufficient endocrine function.
Publication Year: 2001
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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