A Physician's Journey: Chasing hormones you never knew you had and why you need them

When Emeritus Professor Eric Espiner commenced training as a physician specialising in endocrinology, there were no validated tests for the hormones thought to be the cause of many of the disorders encountered in clinical practice. That all changed in the 1960s and Espiner was in the right place at the right time to begin his unplanned and immensely productive career. A Physician's Journey is one of discovery: how hormones can be used or manipulated to benefit the health of a patient. Findings that the heart in humans is itself an endocrine gland have changed the established view of how cardiovascular health is maintained in people; that some of these same heart hormones also participate in maintaining health in such diverse areas as skeletal development and neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease. Written with the wisdom and insights borne of more than 90 years of life, Eric Espiner's memoir offers an engaging account of curious and dedicated physicians working alongside like-minded scientists, across disciplines, in a community hospital where the culture of enquiry was firmly entrenched. It highlights how chance, shifting opportunities and the vagaries of funding can determine research outcomes.