Ibn Nafis
Anatomy and physiology have been taught in medical colleges since ages. Thousands of doctors and scientists who pass out every year from medical colleges do not have any significant information about the contribution of Ibn Nafis, a great Muslim Scientist and Cardiologist. Generally people believe that Muslims do not have any significant contribution in the field of science and medicine while Islam has to its credit a marvellous contribution in science and technology. Some scientists and historians who are aware of the Muslim history feel grieved due to the destruction of Islamic Andalusia and Baitul Hikmah in Baghdad. They realise that the modern world is still late in many scientific inventions and developments. If the educational asset of Islamic Andalusia and Baitul Hikmah were not destroyed, the modern world would have invented several scientific instruments and systems three hundred years before.
“Ibn Nafis discovered the pulmonary circulation of the blood four hundred years before William Harvey. The discovery of the pulmonary circulation of blood, which is part of the general circulation of the blood, is one of the most important and original contributions made by him.”
Ibn Nafis was born in 601AH/1213 CE at a village called Qurashiya near the capital city Damascus in Syria. His complete name is Ala al-Din Abdul Hasan Ali ibn Abil Hazm al-Qarashi al-Damashqi al-Misri, but he was famous by Ibn Nafis in the literature of medicine and history. There is no significant information available on his basic education and early life. Encyclopaedia Britannica has cited some Arabic reference which reflects that he received the education of medicine at Nuri Hospital and Medical College at Damascus which was founded by a Turkish King Nur Al- Mahmud Ibn Zangi. Ibn Nafis learnt medicine from a famous medical expert Muhadhab al-Din al-Dakhwar. Besides medicine, he excelled in Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), Arabic Literature and Islamic Theology.
Ibn Nafis shifted to Cairo during his middle age and spent the rest of his life there. He joined the al-Masruriyya which was a famous seat of learning in Egypt and started teaching Islamic Law. His name was included in the great theologian of his era, and he has authored some books on this topic. Subsequently, he was appointed as director at two hospitals Bimaristan al-Nasiri hospital cum medical college and Bimaristan al-Qalawun Hospital in Cairo. In a nutshell, Ibn Nafis spent his entire life in the historical city of Egypt in research, investigation, writing and practising medicine.
Ibn Nafis invented the method of writing notes and books on the subject of medicine and anatomy. He was found of medical science and a man of pen; he donated his entire property to a library and a hospital prior to his death. He died in Egypt in 687 AH/1288 CE. Incidences show that he was a practising Muslim. While he was sick, a physician advised him to take wine as medicine, but he refused to take wine by saying that he could not see God with wine in his body and he preferred death to wine.
Ibn Nafis propounded the theory of pulmonary blood circulation with correct measurement and scientific reasoning. He proved that the heart is laterally divided in two sections by a thick wall called septum. After a cycle of greater circulation, the blood returns to the right section of the heart, from there it goes out to the lungs for oxygenation. From the lungs, it returns to the left section of the heart from where it goes out on a fresh cycle of greater circulation. The circulation of blood from the heart to all parts of the body, except the lungs, is called greater circulation. The ‘deoxygenated’ or deficient blood which returns to the heart needs to be oxygenated before it goes out on a fresh cycle of greater circulation. The process of oxygenation takes place in the lungs which receive fresh air through respiration.
The pulmonary circulation covers the circulation of blood from the heart to the lungs and back. It is this part of the circulation which Ibn Nafis discovered in about 640 AH/1240 CE. Ibn Nafis described the pulmonary circulation of blood in detail.
With this discovery, Ibn Nafis also disproved the 1000-year old theory that the blood travelled directly from the right section of the heart to the left through the septum. This theory was presented by the ancient Greek scientist Galen (129-199 CE) who had even suggested that there were invisible pores in the septum. Ibn Nafis refuted the view of Galen on blood circulation through the septum; he clearly stated that the septum was solid and had no pores, visible or invisible. Blood naturally pass from the right ventricle to the left ventricle by way of the lungs. Discovery of correct procedure of blood circulation in the chambers of the heart was one of the major inventions in the history of medicine. Ibn Nafis invented it in the 13th century, but it came to limelight in Europe in the mid of 20th century.
Ibn Nafis was a prolific writer on medical science; he authored numerous books and monographs on medicines which are still considered encyclopaedia on medicine. His books on medicine were included in the syllabus in various medical colleges and intuitions in Europe, Middle East and South Africa for several decades. Ibn Nafis was proficient in philosophy, theology, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), grammar and language. Some of his famous books on medical science are hereunder:
Kitab al-Mujaz fi al-Tibb was the first book on medicine written by Ibn Nafis. It is a well classified and succinctly summarised book on medicine.
Al-Shamil fi al-Tibb was another voluminous book on medicine. It comprises more than three hundred chapters that discuss the various issues of medical science but it was left incomplete after his death. Manuscript of the book is still available in the Damascus museum.
He wrote a research document on ophthalmology and diet plane. Besides, he wrote commentaries on medical books of Hippocrates, Avicenna, and Hunayn ibn Ishaq.