Pituitary Gland
The pituitary gland, which is located in the center of the skull, just
behind the bridge of the nose, is about the size of a pea. It is an
important link between the nervous system and the endocrine system and
releases many hormones which affect growth, sexual development, metabolism
and the system of reproduction. The "hypothalamus" is a tiny cluster of
brain cells just above the pituitary gland, which transmits messages from
the body to the brain.
The pituitary gland has two distinct parts, the anterior and the
posterior lobes, each of which releases different hormones which affect
bone growth and regulate activity in other glands. This gland was once
believed to be the main controlling gland of the body, but we now know
that, important as it is, it is subservient to a master gland called the
hypothalamus, which is the needed link between the pituitary gland and the
brain. This "master gland" is really a way station between the body and
the brain and sorts out messages going to and from the brain. It responds
to the body through the pituitary gland, which is suspended just below it.
It sometimes replies by nerve impulses and sometimes with needed hormones.
The pituitary gland then makes hormones of its own in answer to the
body's needs. These are then circulated in the blood to a variety of the
body's tissues, including other endocrines, such as the adrenal gland. The
adrenal gland receives the hormones produced by the pituitary and produces
more of its own in response to growth and development requirements as well
as the "fight or flight" responses.
By the way, being a dwarf or midget will not hold one back from fame and
fortune. Jeffery Hudson, a midget who lived from 1619 to 1682, was given
to Queen Henrietta Maria of England by the Duke of Buckingham as a child.
He escaped to France with the queen, fought a duel on horseback and won,
fled France and was taken by Moorish pirates. He escaped and returned to
England. He was eighteen inches tall when he was eight years old (at the
time he was given to the queen) and three feet, nine inches in height when
he was fully grown. His escapades and daring ought to stimulate us all!
