833-839 Kambadur_Muralidhar

INTRODUCTION Discovery of hormones and endocrine phenomena: Experimental work in endocrinology is an excellent example for the reductionist view of biology. This view point, which is currently in fashion, asserts that the laws of physics and chemistry are sufficient to understand and to ‘explain’ biological phenomena. While this statement will not be discussed any further, it cannot be helped saying that this view point has dominated and influenced research and hence, available knowledge in endocrinology. In fact, the very process of discovery of hormones establishes firmly this philosophy of reductionist biology as far as endocrinology is concerned.