Prolactin: Physiology and Clinical Significance

I first became interested in prolactin a little over two years ago. I was then working in Nairobi and I knew nothing about the hormone apart from its role in lactation. Professor Mohammed Hyder of the Department of Zoology in the University of Nairobi was interested in the endocrine mechanisms which enable Tilapia fish to adapt to water with a very high electrolyte content. He invited me to a seminar given by Professor Howard Bern which was largely concerned with the role prolactin plays in flui