© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved Who Invented It? The Controversial History of Technology and Invention

© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging Strong magnetic field aligns protons in the body A radio frequency electromagnetic field is then briefly turned on, causing the protons to alter their alignment. When this field is turned off the protons return to the original magnetization alignment. The alignment changes create a signal which is detected by the scanner. Applying additional magnetic fields during the scan allows an image of the body to be built up.

© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved 2003 Nobel Prize Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield Paul Lauterbur, for research 30 years earlier at Stony Brook University in New York; insight of using magnetic field gradients to create 2D images Sir Peter Mansfield, University of Nottingham, for mathematical developments and fast imaging. Stony Brook declined to patent Lauterbur’s work; Nottingham patented Mansfield’s work Peter Mansfield (left) and Paul Lauterbur

© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved Raymond Vahan Damadian Claimed he invented MRI; that Lauterbur and Mansfield merely refined his technology. Filed for patents in 1974 Completed the first MR scanner in 1977, created FONAR Corp. First human MRI in 1977 First commercial MRI scanner in 1980

© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved Vladislav Ivanov and Herman Carr In 1960, Vladislav Ivanov filed a document with the USSR State Committee for Inventions and Discovery at Leningrad for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging device. Document approved in the 1970s. In a letter to “Physics Today” in 1992, Herman Carr pointed out his 1952 demonstration of MRI had been overlooked. The Nobel Prize winners had almost certainly seen Carr's work, but did not cite it. Consequently, the prize committee very likely did not become cognizant of Carr's discoveries

© Copyright 2010 Robert D. Conway All Rights Reserved References Philbin, Tom, “100 Greatest Inventions of All Time”, Citadel Press, New York, for articles on MRI, Damadian, Lauterbur, Mansfield, Carr, Ivanov, and Nobel Prize Controversies