Historical Figure
Ibn al-Nafis
Ayyubid
ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Abī Ḥazm al-Qarashī, known as Ibn al-Nafīs, was an Arab polymath whose areas of work included medicine, surgery, physiology, anatomy, biology, Islamic studies, jurisprudence, and philosophy. He is known for being the first to describe the pulmonary circulation of the blood. The work of Ibn al-Nafis regarding the right sided circulation pre-dates the later work of William Harvey's De motu cordis. Both theories attempt to explain circulation.
Connection to Damascus
Born in Damascus; educated at the medical school there before moving to Cairo where he became chief physician at al-Naseri Hospital.
Known for
First description of pulmonary circulation; "father of circulatory physiology".
Lifespan
1210 – 1288
Biography
ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Abī Ḥazm al-Qarashī, known as Ibn al-Nafīs, was an Arab polymath whose areas of work included medicine, surgery, physiology, anatomy, biology, Islamic studies, jurisprudence, and philosophy. He is known for being the first to describe the pulmonary circulation of the blood. The work of Ibn al-Nafis regarding the right sided circulation pre-dates the later work of William Harvey's De motu cordis. Both theories attempt to explain circulation.