ENDOCRINOLOGY AS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY FIELD OF MEDICINE: ITS FORMATION AND TRENDS OF DEVELOPMENT
The article is devoted to the history of ideas about hormone regulation and the formation of Endocrinology as a branch of fundamental and applied Medicine. It discusses the main features of endocrine regulation, the main pillarsof Endocrinology: the principle of permissive action of hormones and the principle of feedback regulation. The key endocrinological discoveries are discussed, as well as their impact on Medicine and Biology in general. The main problems and tendenciesof modern Endocrinology are pointed out, in context of the most common endocrine diseases of nowadays: diabetes mellitus and thyropathiae. The interrelationships between endocrine disorders and autoimmunity are also in scope of the article. In this context,it highlights the main publications that are included in this issue of the journal. The authors substantiate the position that current Medicine needs deeper and more detailed teaching of Endocrinologyat both undergraduate and graduate levels of medical education, for physicians of various specialties, due to the interdisciplinary nature of endocrinological knowledge and ubiquitous characterof the endocrinological symptoms. It describes the author’s method of teaching the Introduction in Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases for medical students (18 figs, bibliography: 67 refs).