A personal historical perspective of the development of the gastrointestinal endocrine system.

The growth of gastrointestinal endocrinology has become exponential with the introduction of modern molecular biologic techniques. It had its roots in extirpation, as did all of endocrinology, and was the birthplace of the first hormone secretion. Progress was tardy through the 'physiologic secretion' years but gained pace with the advent of radioimmunoassay. With molecular biologic approaches, a plethora of candidate hormones have outstripped ascribable biologic functions. Nonetheless, a semblance of sanity is presented in recognizable clinical syndromes deriving from gut hormone excesses. This and the potential for application of peptide therapy to deficiencies and excesses of gut humor production are exciting prospects for the future.