"I will not be as those who spend the day in complaining of headache, and the night in drinking the wine the gives it." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
What comes in goes out. What is eaten will eventually be pooped out in a little while. What is taught and retained will manifest how learned you are.
Likewise, how wonderful it is that an apple tree will bear not of an orange but of its own kind only except if the technology of hybriding is used. Furthermore, the fruit will always manifest the characteristics of its origin that it will always make up specifically the taste, texture, and smell of the previous fruit from which the seed it bear grew to a new one.
Therefore, it's a domino. It's something that as the first block is pushed, in a synchronize manner, will continuously push the next block until the last block is pushed to make its specific function.
This only serves as my introduction. Let me clear on the fact that I'm not after the story of the little plant, nor how a domino is played. I'm focused on the sense of what I have mentioned. It's an analogy that I hope you, my dear readers, are now able to grasp which now brings me to the real topic of discussion -- Endocrinology defined.
How is Endocrinology defined?
Endokrīnōlogia is the Greek word form which the term endocinology originated. It started during the 200 BCE when the Chinese were isolating sex and pituitary hormones from human urine for medicinal purposes. In 1849, Arnold Berthold started modern endocrinology. In 1962, recent work in endocrinology made by Earl Sutherland focuses on the molecular mechanisms responsible for triggering the effects of hormones.
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Endocrine Glands of Both Male and Female
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It is defined by Webster (1998) as the study of the endocrine glands which secretes internally into the blood or lymph and their secretions.
According to Greenspan and Strewler (1997) in their book Basic and Clinical Endocrinology, 5th edition, a comparison on the terms endocrine and exocrine is made. Endocrine denotes an internal secretion of hormones which are biologically active substances. On the contrary, exocrine deals with the external secretions of the body such as tears, sweat, or ducts that lead into the gastrointestinal tract.
The endocrine system is the second controlling system of the body next to the nervous system. It is by which information and signals between different cells and tissues are transmitted that regulates most bodily functions. It plays a vital role in reproduction, growth development, mobilizing body defense against stressors, maintaining electrolytes, water and nutrients. Precisely, it is responsible for our body's homeostasis.
According to Seeley, Stephens and Tate (2007) in their book "Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology", sixth edition, it states that the nervous and endocrine systems are almost same in some regulatory functions but also differs in other important respects. The nervous system is mediated by neurotransmitters whose site of action is close or near to the site of release of chemical signals such that its type of target cell will include muscles, cells and glands or just milliseconds on the onset of action which in return will last briefly.
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Human Nervous System
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On the other hand, the endocrine system releases hormones far from the site of action into the circulatory system which carries them throughout the cells of the body. Unlike the time of onset of action of the nervous system, it takes hours to days before the cells detect the chemical signals produce responses of the endocrine system that will effect for a longer period of time. To summarize, a specific tissue or organ is controlled by each nervous stimulus whereas each endocrine stimulus only controls several tissues or organs.
In the book “Clinical Chemistry” by D. Calbreath, it introduced the breakthroughs of clinical endocrinology as one of the fields in clinical chemistry. Nowadays, through the development of a wide array of immunoassay procedures, the clinical laboratory is able to test for the presence of the precursors of hormones such as polypeptides, steroids, amino acids and fatty acids as well. As a result of modern practices and studies made, treatment of many endocrine diseases is available.
As I have learned in our Human Anatomy and Physiology class, clinical disorders of endocrine glands are mainly of two types: a) Hyperfunction which pertains to excessive secretion of the hormone on sensitive target tissue and b) Hypofunction in which the amount of hormone produced is insufficient to achieve its normal effect on its target tissue. The basis for diagnosing hyperfunction and hypofunction of endocrine glands is controlled by the physiologic concept of feedback that allows each hormone to be considered dynamically.
Here's a short video clip about the endocrine system:
And that is how the course endocrinology is defined. See you next time in our further topics dealing with detailed discussions of the glands and organs of the endocrine system and their hormones. Thank you!
In the end, everything happens for a reason and for a purpose make it either specific or in general. In one way or another, the result of what we have made will surely affect the next scene of our fate.
