Ibn al-Nafis

Discovered pulmonary circulation 300 years before Western scientists

Ala-al-din Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Abi-Hazm al-Qarshi al-Dimashqi (1213-1288), known as Ibn al-Nafis, revolutionized cardiovascular understanding through his groundbreaking discovery of pulmonary circulation. In his Commentary on Anatomy in Avicenna's Canon, this Syrian physician correctly described blood movement from heart to lungs - a process Western medicine wouldn't recognize until the 16th century.

Working in Cairo's Al-Mansouri Hospital, Ibn al-Nafis debunked Galen's porous heart septum theory through meticulous dissection (despite Islamic prohibitions). His altered nutrition concept prefigured capillary function, while his Comprehensive Book on Medicine established new standards for medical education.

Beyond cardiology, Ibn al-Nafis pioneered neuroanatomy studies, accurately describing brain ventricles and meninges. His Kitab al-Mukhtar fi al-Tibb became a 300-year medical authority, integrating Greek knowledge with original observations.

This polymath also wrote influential works on Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy, exemplifying the golden age of Arabic science. His circulatory discoveries resurfaced via 20th-century manuscript finds, confirming his unrecognized role in medical history.