Although the condition of acromegaly existed and was described many years ago, its recognition as a morbid entity practically dates from the year 1886, when Dr. Pierre Marie, of Paris, named and defined it as a disease characterised by great overgrowth of the hands, feet, face, and head. Since then the disease, though rare, has been universally recognised, and more than 200 cases have been reported. Of these some have been typical, some atypical, and some have not been acromegaly at all.