Summary

Much like the nervous system, the endocrine system relays important communication signals throughout the body. The endocrine system uses chemical signals, known as hormones, which are produced and stored in special glands in the body. Different glands produce specialized hormones and release them into the bloodstream. From there, these hormones can travel directly to the tissues and organs and help regulate bodily functions. In The Endocrine System, learn how this chemical messaging system is vital to the body’s growth, metabolism, and sexual development.

Specifications

Full-color photographs and illustrations. Sidebars. Glossary. References. Further reading. Web sites. Index.

About the Author(s)

Lynette Rushton is a professor of biology and chemistry at South Puget Sound Community College, where she has been a full-time faculty member since 1992. She received a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Washington-Seattle and a master’s degree in biology from Eastern Washington University. As an undergraduate, she studied vertebrate anatomy and physiology. As a graduate student, she worked primarily on the endocrinology of reproduction in mammals.

Introduction by Denton A. Cooley, M.D., President and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Texas Heart Institute, Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas