We still do not understand the pathogenesis of the majority of pituitary adenomas or why, once formed, their behaviour tends to be so benign. Understanding trophic activity in the normal pituitary may be the key. Despite the fact that changes in indices of cell division and programmed cell death that are too small to measure can produce highly significant fluxes in cell populations, little by little, the fascinating patterns of integrated responses of pituitary cells to hormonal stimuli are now being revealed.