History and development of Endocrinology (1) Roughly a hundred years ago, Starling coined the term hormone to describe secretin. a substance secreted by the small intestine into the blood stream to stimulate pancreatic secretion. n his Croonian Lectures, Starling considered the endo crine and nervous systems as two distinct mechanisms for coordination and control of organ function Thus, endocrinology found its first home in the discipline of mammalian physiology.2 History and development of Endocrinology (1) Roughly a hundred years ago, Starling coined the term hormone to describe secretin, a substance secreted by the small intestine into the blood stream to stimulate pancreatic secretion. In his Croonian Lectures, Starling considered the endo￾crine and nervous systems as two distinct mechanisms for coordination and control of organ function. Thus, endocrinology found its first home in the discipline of mammalian physiology