Historical Overview of the Circle of Willis in Unani Literature
Keywords:
Circle of Willis, blood supply of brain, Unani medicine, dimagAbstract
The Circle of Willis, a crucial arterial network at the base of the brain, is traditionally credited to the 17th-century English physician Thomas Willis. However, historical analysis reveals that earlier descriptions of this vascular structure exist in classical Unani medical literature. This article explores the contributions of prominent Unani scholars—such as Ibn Sina, Al-Razi, Ismail Jurjani, and Mansur ibn Ilyas—who provided detailed anatomical and functional descriptions of cerebral circulation that closely align with modern conceptions of the Circle of Willis. Drawing from primary Unani texts, the study highlights how these scholars recognized a vascular network surrounding the brainstem and pituitary region, attributing to it both anatomical and physiological significance within the humoral framework of their time. Their understanding, though expressed in different terminologies and embedded in the spirit-based physiology of Unani doctrine, demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of neurovascular anatomy that predates Western discoveries. This paper underscores the need to reevaluate the historical narrative of anatomical science and acknowledges the foundational role of Unani medicine in shaping modern neuroanatomy.
Downloads
References
1. Hendrikse J, van Raamt AF, van der Graaf Y, Mali WP, van der Grond J. Distribution of cerebral blood flow in the circle of Willis. Radiology. 2005;235(1):184–9.
2. Kenney CA. A historical review of the illustrations of the circle of Willis from antiquity to 1664. J Biocommun. 1998;25(2):26–31.
3. Sina I. Al-Qanoon fit-Tib. New Delhi: Idara Kitab-us-Shifa; [year not mentioned].
4. Gruner OC. The Canon of Medicine of Avicenna. New York: AMS Press; 1973.
5. Shah MH. The General Principles of Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine. New Delhi: Idara Kitab-us-Shifa; 2007.
6. Sharafkandi A, translator. The Persian translation of Qanoun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine). Vol. 3. Tehran: Soroush Press; 1987. p. 9–10.
7. Lo WB, Ellis H. The circle before Willis: a historical account of the intracranial anastomosis. Neurosurgery. 2010;66(1):7–18.
8. Yarmohammadi H, Dalfardi B, Ghanizadeh A. Joveini (Al-Akhawayni) and the early knowledge on circle of Willis. Int J Cardiol. 2013;168(4):4482.
9. Razi Z. Kitab al-Mansoori. New Delhi: Dept of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India; 1991. p. 152.
10. Majoosi A. Kamil-us-Sana’a. New Delhi: Idara Kitab-us-Shifa; 2010.
11. Baghdadi I. Kitab al-Mukhtarat fil-Tibb. Vol. 3. 1st ed. New Delhi: CCRUM; 2004.
12. Jurjani I. Zakhira Khwarazm Shahi. New Delhi: Idara Kitab-us-Shifa; 2010.
13. Masihi IQ. Kitab al-Umda fil-Jarahat. Vol. 1. New Delhi: CCRUM; [year not mentioned].
14. Shoja MM, Tubbs RS. The history of anatomy in Persia. J Anat. 2007;210(4):359–78.
15. Sina I. Kulliyat-e-Qanoon. New Delhi: Aijaz Publication House; 2006.
16. Viale G. The rete mirabile of the cranial base: a millenary legend. Neurosurgery. 2006;58(6):1198–208; discussion 1198–208. doi: 10.1227/01.NEU.0000216118.31290.65. PMID: 16723900.
17. Dumitrescu AM, Costea CF, Cucu AI, Dumitrescu GF, Turliuc MD, Scripcariu DV, et al. The discovery of the circle of Willis as a result of using the scientific method in anatomical dissection. Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2020;61(3):959–65. doi: 10.47162/RJME.61.3.38. PMID: 33817741; PMCID: PMC8112754.
18. Lanska D. The evolution of Vesalius’s perspective on Galen’s anatomy. Hist Med. 2015;2(1):13–26.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sana Kauser Ateeque Ahmed, Tasfiya Hakeem Ansari, Dr Ansari Huzaifa Saleem Ahmed, Rummana Kauser (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
