People who wrote the references for the blood circulatory system consists of small tubular structures responsible for carrying blood known as blood vessels. Some intercellular fluid (tissue fluid), however does not re-enter capillaries or veins directly, is picked up by thin-walled blind ended lymph vessels.
The concept of the circulatory system and the recognition of its components, including blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, is the result of contributions from many scientists and physicians throughout history. Here are some key figures who significantly advanced the understanding of the blood and lymphatic circulatory systems:
1. **Hippocrates** (ca. 460–370 BC) - Often referred to as the "Father of Medicine," he provided early descriptions related to health and disease and suggested that the body contained a system of vessels.
2. **Aristotle** (384–322 BC) - Although not accurate in all his anatomical descriptions, he observed various biological functions and may have influenced later thought on biological systems.
3. **Galen** (129–216 AD) - A Roman physician who made extensive studies of the human body, Galen wrote about the cardiovascular system and described veins and arteries. However, he held onto the incorrect belief that blood was generated in the liver and consumed rather than circulated.
4. **Ibn al-Nafis** (1213–1288) - An Arab physician who is credited with the discovery of the pulmonary circulation, which describes how blood circulates from the heart to the lungs and back.
5. **Andreas Vesalius** (1514–1564) - As a pioneering anatomist, his work "De humani corporis fabrica" corrected many of Galen's misconceptions, although he did not fully understand the circulation of blood.
6. **William Harvey** (1578–1657) - The English physician is credited with the discovery of the systemic circulation. He accurately described how blood is pumped around the body by the heart and returns to the heart in his seminal work "De motu cordis" (On the Motion of The Heart and Blood).
7. **Gaspare Aselli** (1581–1626) - He discovered the lacteals, which are part of the lymphatic system, during an experiment on dogs, noticing the white, milky vessels which absorbed chyle from the intestines.
8. **Thomas Bartholin** (1616–1680) and **Olaus Rudbeck** (1630–1702) - Both are credited, independently, with the discovery of the lymphatic system in humans in the 17th century. They described a network of vessels that drained lymphatic fluid, supporting the notion that there were two separate vascular systems.
The cumulative work of these and other researchers over the centuries has led to our current understanding of the circulatory system. Modern medicine continues to expand on this knowledge with advanced imaging techniques and ongoing research in cardiovascular physiology and pathology.