Written primarily for 16-19 year old students, this primer aims to extend students' knowledge and inspire them to take their school-level learning further. It explores topics that are familiar from the curriculum and also introduces new ideas, giving students a first taste of the study of biology beyond school-level and demonstrating how concepts frequently encountered at school are relevant to and applied in current research. This is the ideal text to supportstudents who are considering making the transition from studying biology at school to university. It is a concise, stimulating introduction to the endocrine system and the role of hormones in the context of disease, development, reproduction, and behaviour.

• 1: Introducing Hormones


• 2: Hormones and disease: what happens when things go wrong


• 3: Hormones and development


• 4: Hormones and reproduction


• 5: Hormones and behaviour


• 6: The use and abuse of hormones

Professor Joy Hinson is an emeritus professor at Queen Mary University of London. She graduated from the University of London with a degree in comparative physiology then conducted research into adrenal endocrinology for her PhD and pursued a career in research, publishing over 100 research papers, numerous reviews and book chapters. In 2006 Joy was awarded the Doctorate of Science degree by the University of London, in recognition for the contribution she made to our understanding of the function of the adrenal cortex. Joy has taught endocrinology and reproduction to both medical students and biologists for many years, being awarded the Drapers' prize for outstanding teaching in 2009. She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, serving since 2015 on the Education committee. Joy has co-authored a book with Dr Peter Raven on 'The Endocrine System' and has most recently written a book on goats, titled 'Goat'!
Dr Peter Raven graduated from St Bartholomew's Medical School in 1985. During his time at Barts he gained a BSc in biochemistry, a PhD in adrenal endocrinology and an MBBS degree. After training as a doctor he developed an interest in psychiatry and completed his psychiatry training in 1995, winning the Gold Medal and Gaskell Prize of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1994. Peter worked as an academic psychiatrist and Faculty Tutor at University College London until 2014. He has published extensively on both endocrinology and psychiatry, including co-authoring 'The Endocrine System' with Prof Hinson. He has a long-standing interest in teaching, focussing on medical students and junior doctors and has contributed to several textbooks.