The Anterior Pituitary Gland

To my mind, the high point in the entire volume is the introductory paragraph to the set piece written by Professor Honjo, a noted molecular biologist. Here he states with elegance and eloquence the importance to a working scientist of problems in which only the barest outlines are perceived. Professor Honjo describes it far better than I can, so I quote him, in hopes that it will encourage people to read this book: We love the bells and gardens in Japanese temples because they have what we call yo-in, which may be translated into the English words reverberation, aftertaste or trailing note. None of them exactly express the meaning of yo-in. Yo-in means that state or space left unexplained or unspoken, left to the imagination. To me, yo-in is also important in science. It is the problem full of yo-in that is really fascinating. Immunology will not lack for yo-in for many years to come. One of the delights of the discussion that makes up so much of this book is to see just how much yo-in is left even in the most intensively studied aspects of immunology. The title, The Anterior Pituitary Gland, sounds as if the book provides complete coverage of the gland. The jacket shows a pentagon with each side labeled Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Neurosecretion, and Clinical Aspects, which reinforces the implication that a thorough description will be provided. This impression , however, is misleading. The basis for the volume is a series of five talks given at the Medical College of Virginia, supplemented by invited contributions from colleagues and friends of Dr. Emanuel M. Bogdanove, for whom the volume is a memorial. The result is 40 chapters, each by a different author or set of authors, divided into the five areas listed on the jacket but in no way completely covering any area. The style, subject matter, and content of the chapters vary widely. A chapter may consist of one or two pages summarizing what the author considers to be the main contribution of his laboratory, a short paper on a specific topic organized as a research paper, or a short, fairly comprehensive review of a selected aspect of endocrinology. For example, the biochemistry section begins with a thorough review of binding of follicle-stimulating hormone to the testes, including a discussion of specific technical problems. The connection with the pituitary is that this gland is the …