Ibn al-Nafis
Arab physician who discovered pulmonary circulation 300 years before William Harvey.
Who or what
Ala al-Din Abu al-Hasan Ibn al-Nafis (1213–1288) was an Arab physician and anatomist.
He correctly described how blood flows from the right ventricle through the lungs to the left ventricle.
Why it mattered
He refuted Galen's theory that blood passes through invisible pores in the heart septum.
His discovery was not widely known in Europe until the 20th century, when his manuscript was rediscovered.
Key works and moments
"The blood is purified in the lungs, then passes from the right chamber to the left through the pulmonary artery and veins."
He also described coronary circulation and capillary function.
Further detail
His commentary on Ibn Sina's Canon contained his circulatory insights, which went unnoticed for centuries.
He correctly stated that the heart is nourished by coronary arteries, not by blood in its chambers.
Legacy
His work anticipated Harvey's complete description of systemic circulation.
Modern historians recognize him as the true discoverer of pulmonary circulation.
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