History

The basic physical phenomenon of magnetic resonance imaging (nuclear magnetic resonance) was first observed by Isidor Rabi in 1938, in atomic beams. The first successful experiment with solutions was carried out by Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell in 1964. The first demonstration experiment was carried out by Paul Lauterbur in 1973, in which he used magnetic resonance for imaging. The first human studies were performed in 1977 and the first commercially available MRI machine was created in 1980. During the past thirty years the MRI has become essential in medical diagnostics, and it is the most dynamically developing field of the market of medical imaging devices.

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