First Human MRI (1977)
July 3, 1977 — Raymond Damadian, Larry Minkoff, and Michael Goldsmith produce the first MRI scan of a living human, with Minkoff serving as the subject. The "Indomitable" prototype, a custom-built 0.05T system, takes nearly five hours to acquire one 2D cross-section of Minkoff's chest. Damadian had earlier (1971) demonstrated that nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation differed between cancerous and normal tissue — the observation that opened MRI as a clinical possibility.
The 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Paul Lauterbur (whose 1973 gradient-encoding method made spatial localization possible) and Peter Mansfield (whose fast-imaging techniques made clinical MRI practical). Damadian was controversially excluded from the Nobel and ran public protests at the time.
What made MRI possible
- Nuclear magnetic resonance — discovered 1946 by Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell as a chemistry / physics technique; Nobel Prize 1952. NMR was a spectroscopy tool for two decades before clinical imaging applications emerged.
- Lauterbur's spatial encoding (1973) — applying gradient magnetic fields to encode position information in the resonance frequency. The conceptual breakthrough that made imaging possible.
- Mansfield's echo-planar imaging (mid-1970s) — fast acquisition methods reducing scan times from hours to seconds at clinical scale.
- Superconducting magnets at clinical scale (1980s) — moving from low-field permanent / resistive magnets to 0.5–1.5T superconducting magnets, enabling routine clinical SNR.
Clinical adoption timeline
- 1980 — first commercial clinical MRI (FONAR QED 80).
- 1984 — first 1.5T clinical superconducting MRI; SNR adequate for routine neuro and body imaging.
- 1990s — wide diffusion through hospital and outpatient practice; 1.5T becomes the workhorse.
- 2002 — clinical 3T deployed broadly; advanced applications (DTI, fMRI, MR spectroscopy) reach clinical use.
- 2017 — first FDA-approved 7T clinical MRI; research tool since 1999.
- 2020s — sealed-bore / zero-boil-off magnets reach broad commercial deployment; deep-learning reconstruction reshapes throughput.
Why MRI changed medicine
- Soft-tissue contrast dramatically better than CT for brain, spine, MSK, abdomen, pelvis, breast, and prostate.
- No ionizing radiation — repeat imaging in pediatric and reproductive populations is biologically free.
- Functional imaging — DTI, fMRI, MR spectroscopy, MR angiography opened domains CT cannot reach.
- Therapy guidance — MR-Linac (Unity, MRIdian) brings MRI into the radiation-therapy delivery suite.
Descends to
- Every MRI system since
- Open / Extremity MRI
- MR-Linac
- PET / MR
- Siemens MAGNETOM Symphony (1.5T workhorse era)
- Philips Ingenia
- GE Signa Premier
- Elekta Unity MR-Linac