innovations in research , diagnosis and therapeutics stimulated interest in this young branch of medicine . in 1805 , cuvier defined the medulla and cortex of the adrenal gland . a few years late , alibert described acromegaly ( 1822 ) , while rathke described the formation of the pituitary gland ( 1838 ) . in 1860 prevost and dumas described ovulation , and in 1827 , von baer discovered the human ovum . berthold , in 1849 , conducted elegant experiments on testicular transplants in birds , and brown- sequard tried organotherapy , using testicular extracts on himself . in such a rapidly evolving , exciting period of scientific discovery , the parathyroids took back seat . the choice of their name itself was unfortunate , as they were considered thyroid appendages , and were not given their due physiological significance too easily . in 1852 , the parathyroids were described in the rhinoceros by sir richard owen in london . he noted a small compact yellow , glandular body , attached to thyroid , in an indian rhinoceros cadaver , preserved in london . virchow described the human parathyroids in 1963 , but credit for the first complete description goes to the swedish doctor sandstroem , in 1980 . he identified two parathyroid bodies in 43 out of 50 autopsies . in 1890 , anton woelfler described areas of  young tissue  or  foetal rests  which might have been intrathyroid , as parathyroid glands . though the anatomy of the parathyroids had been reasonably well described , their physiology was not understood until much later . eugene gley studied the parathyroid glands ( he thought there were two in each animal ) in rabbits , and performed parathyroidectomy , without causing death ( 1891 ) . he thought that the parathyroids were potential thyroid tissue , as they grew hypertropic after thyroidectomy . they demonstrated the occurrence of tetany and myxedema after parathyroid and thyroid removal , in 1895 and 1986 , respectively . at the same time , walter edmunds proved that the parathyroids did not convert to thyroid tissue after thyroidectomy . a few years later , kohn was able to establish that the parathyroids were anatomically independent from the thyroid . later workers showed fatal tetany after complete removal of all parathyroid tissue , proving that the glands are essential for life , in the first decade of the twentieth century . in spite of this research , however , scientists such as noel paton and findlay continued to assert that the function of the parathyroid was to detoxify guanidine ( 1917 ) . though the study of anatomy and physiology of the parathyroids proceeded slowly , clinical medicine had recognized the symptoms of parathyroid disease quite early . tetany in the pediatric age group was described by john charke in 1815 , and carpopedal spasm and glottis spasm by george kellie in 1816 . trousseau 's sign was described in 1862 , erb 's sign in 1873 , and chvostek 's sign in 1876 . though organotherapy had been in vogue as far as testicular and thyroid extracts were concerned , for quite some time , the first account of parathyroid hormone replacement was given in 1898 . g. moussu injected on aqueous extract of 12- 20 equine glands and successfully treated post- parathyroidectomy tetany in canine models . in 1909 , berkeley and beebe described correction of hypo- calcemic tetany , with parathyroid extract , in man . in the same year , mac callum and vogetlin demonstrated a much simpler method of managing tetany with intravenous calcium chloride . while experimental parathyroidectomies had been carried out by early researchers in the ninetieth century , the first parathyroid transplant was attempted by ws halsted in 1909 , in baltimore . he transplanted canine parathyroids into thyroid tissue and under the abnormal skin , trying both iso- and auto- transplantation . mandl was the first surgeon to include the small parathyroid glands in the ambit of endocrine surgery . he successfully treated a case of osteitis fibrosa by surgical removal of a parathyroid adenoma in 1925 . the first report of isolation of an effective parathyroid extract is by hanson , who reported his work in cattle in 1923 . parathromone was discovered by collip in 1925 , and used to treat tetany successfully , by leitch and him , in the same year . it is surprising that collip is remembered more for his role in the discovery of insulin ( though the nobel prize committee did not feel him worthy of the prize ) , than for his role in the discovery of parathyroid hormone , an equally important feat . the parathyroid hormone was isolated and purified by ramussen and craig in 1959 , and its polypeptide structure defined by them in 1962 . greenwald identified its phosphaturic action in 1911 , while barnicot noted its resorptive effect on bone in 1948 . the anti calciuric and anti magnesiuric action were described by jahan and pitts in the same year . another ten years passed before talage and elliott observed an increase in calcium absorption form the small intense parathormone . it has taken many years for scientists to understand the actual relationship between vitamin d and parathormone . in 1962 , a new hormone , calcitonin , was discovered , and was initially thought to be secreted from the parathyroid gland . von recklinghausen gave a complete description of the disease in 1891 . in 1904 , askanasy discovered a parathyroid adenoma while performing a post- mortem on a patient with skeletal disease , and postulated a connection between parathyroid tumour and osteitis fibrosa cystic . in 1907 , erdheim described hyperplasia of the parathyroids in osteomalacia in humans , while in 1914 ; he found the same finding in rachitic rats . the pathophysiology of the parathyroids was put in perspective by greep ro , in 1963 , who studied the comparative endocrinology of the glands . he suggested that as amphibians migrated from calcium- rich marine environment to calcium- poor terrestrial surroundings , and the need for a calcium homeostasis mechanism occurred . the endocrinology of the parathyroids has grown slowly over the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries . advances in anatomy , physiology , medicine , surgery and biochemistry have contributed to effective modalities of diagnosis and treatment which are in use today . this brief article pays homage to the pioneers of our specialty , while offering tribute to their acumen and perseverance .