The history of the treatment of pituitary adenomas.
The immense history leading to our current understanding and treatment of pituitary pathology is inextricably linked to the evolution of the understanding of the numerous functions of the hypophysis cerebri as the "master gland" of the endocrine system. When the anatomists of old encountered this small organ sequestered "like a nugget in the innermost of Chinese boxes" at the base of the brain, they had no inkling of its importance in the control of multiple target organs in the human body. It would ultimately take two millennia and a vast amount of clinical and laboratory research for its role in the body to eventually become more completely appreciated.
Maartens
Nicholas F
NF
Department of Neurosurgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Australia. niki.maartens@mh.org.au
D000236:Adenoma / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*