title: Pituitary-gonadal axis: historical notes.
abstract: Though it was appreciated at a very early time that removal of gonads had evident consequences, the anatomy and function of the gonads were essentially unknown in the Antiquity. It was not until around 1600 that men like Vesalius, de Graaf and Leeuwenhoek initiated rational studies on the structure and function of the gonads. The close relationship between gonads and hypothalamus/pituitary was recognized less than 100 years ago. The last pituitary hormone with gonadotroph effect was discovered a generation ago. This paper briefly describes some major points in the development of our knowledge of the pituitary-gonadal function. Considering the huge number of studies involved, this review reflects but a tiny fraction of the work laid down over millennia within this field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lindholm
authors.forename: E Husted
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010053:Ovary; D010902:Pituitary Gland; D013737:Testis