The Endocrine Gland

The Endocrine System
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The endocrine system comprises of special glands that respond to a stimulus or imbalance in the body. The glands are responsible for recognizing and producing hormones as per the body's needs. The hormones travel through the bloodstream to specific organs that recognize them and act accordingly.
The endocrine glands have to produce hormones in specific quantities. Each hormone, if produced in large quantities, can lead to further imbalance. For example, if the hypothalamus produced high growth hormones, the individual continues to grow faster and could reach unhealthy levels. Some of the tallest people in history had their hormones overproducing growth hormones, and many of them eventually died because of complications stemming from their huge sizes.
Gland

Hormone

Function

Pituitary gland (Master gland)

Growth hormone

* Controls hormone production in the other glands (adrenal, gonadal, thyroid and pancreas)
* Growth hormone also stimulates the growth of bone and body tissue

Thyroid gland

Thyroid hormones

* Regulates body metabolism

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