HORMONES: FROM SECRETIN TO PRECISION ENDOCRINOLOGY :A Century of Chemical Control in Human Life
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/jaz.v38i01.5377Keywords:
endocrinology; hormones; secretin; insulin; chemical signalling; precision medicine; endocrine disruptionAbstract
In 1902, William Maddock Bayliss and Ernest Henry Starling demonstrated that the duodenal mucosa releases a blood-borne chemical agent — subsequently named secretin — capable of stimulating pancreatic secretion independently of any nervous pathway. This elegant experiment shattered the prevailing orthodoxy of purely neural coordination and established the concept of hormonal, or chemical, regulation of bodily functions. Within three years, Starling had coined the word 'hormone,' and a new scientific discipline — endocrinology — was born. Over the succeeding century, the hormone concept expanded to encompass insulin, thyroid hormones, sex steroids, glucocorticoids, growth hormone, and a vast repertoire of peptide and steroid messengers, each governing critical aspects of metabolism, reproduction, growth, stress response, and behaviour. The discovery of hormone receptors, intracellular signalling cascades, feedback mechanisms, and the advent of radioimmunoassay transformed endocrinology from a descriptive art into a precision science. Today, hormonal medicine addresses diabetes, infertility, thyroid dysfunction, adrenal insufficiency, osteoporosis, and obesity — conditions affecting hundreds of millions worldwide. Simultaneously, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the misuse of anabolic steroids, and contested hormone replacement therapies have introduced ethical, environmental, and pharmacological complexities that challenge clinicians and regulators alike. This article traces the arc from Bayliss and Starling's bench in University College London to the era of precision endocrinology, examining not merely what was discovered, but why it mattered, and why it continues to shape human health and medicine today.
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