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JAMA. 1968;204(2):164.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

When Cushing introduced, over half a century ago, the concept of the pituitary-led endocrine orchestra, he envisioned its ultimate growth to panglandular dimensions. This anticipated expansion, however, did not materialize; the ensemble remained small—a modest drawing room concert group rather than a large symphony. Despite failure to expand, the orchestra's distinguished membership—thyroid, adrenal cortex, gonads—ensured its preeminence.

Although the prestige of the orchestra remains high, that of its leader has undergone critical scrutiny in the light of accumulated evidence that the anterior pituitary exerts its tropic effects at the command of another master—the hypothalamus.

Hypothalamic control of the adenohypophysis was suspected for a long time, but, since its transmission was thought to be neural, investigation centered on a futile search for nonexistent nerve endings in the anterior pituitary. It was only after the discovery of the hypophyseal-portal system, which originates in the hypothalamus and ends in the pituitary, that humoral . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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