MRIS History

DESIRE axial slice magnetic resonance Image of a human brain
(Courtesy of Graeme Bydder)

This site is dedicated to charting the history of the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy over the last five decades, focused mainly on the UK.  Documenting all the research  from around the world which made this incredible method  clinically useful is too large a task although we welcome international contributions.

The eBook contains a number of personal historical accounts of MRIS development, histories of the MR societies and reviews as well as obituaries of some of the key researchers who helped introduce this revolutionary technology. The accounts on the MRIS Histories page are  in the order they were submitted and completed. A number of links to other relevant history accounts including books by or about the Nobel prize winners as well as MRI lectures and the connection between MRI and music can be found on the Links page.

We know there are lots of MRIS people in the UK (and elsewhere) not in this gallery yet. This is because we have not been able to locate a suitably embarrassing photo of you! Many of the images are courtesy of Graeme Bydder at ISMRM meetings in close-up zoom mode enhancing your best features. Please send us a picture of yourself if you want to appear or ‘upgrade’ your picture in the ‘Rogue’s Gallery’ below which is displayed in somewhat random order based on when they were found and uploaded. If you would like to contribute your own MRIS historical memoirs chapter, please take a look at the ‘For Authors’ page. Publication is free and reviewed by the editors prior to presentation on the site.

Clicking on the blue links on the images below will allow you to read a chapter using the online viewer. Use the menu above to visit the other website pages. We would like to turn a lot more of those white captions below to blue  and also add more photos to the gallery so please send us your contribution! You can also register for updates and newsletters on the About page.

MRIS Rogues Gallery
  • Neptune MRI at Hammersmith
  • DESIRE image
  • Sagittal FLAIR Multiple Sclerosis
  • Axial FLAIR Multiple Sclerosis
  • Tumour pre Gd Contrast
  • Tumour post Gd Contrast
  • Hammersmith Coil Zoo
  • Jedi Coil
  • Early Picker Cryogenic MRI System
  • Nottingham Magnet in the Science Museum
  • Jedi Coils in the Science Museum
  • Niche MRI in the Science Museum
  • Ian Young with the Queen Mother
  • Nottingham Meeting
  • Details of a Nottingham Meeting
  • Early MRI of finger, Nottingham
  • Prem Anand
  • Stan Clough, Nottingham
  • The Bydders Emigrate
  • Bydder Kids in Van
  • The Bydder Family minus Graeme
  • Graeme meets the Queen
  • RF measuring equipment
  • Walker resistive magnet at EMI
  • Picker Wembley
  • David Hoult driving on ‘The Wrong Side’
  • WInston-Salem Meeting
  • Cast List
  • Neonatal Brain
  • Spin Echo Tibia Image
  • UTE Tibia image
  • Spin Echo bone image
  • UTE bone image
  • Nerve Fasiculae
  • Contrast for subtracted STAIR images
  • Aberdeen Mouse
  • Aberdeen image
  • Alzheimer’s Disease High Resolution
  • Normal High Resolution
  • Godfrey Hounsfield MRI diagram 1
  • Godfrey Hounsfield MRI diagram 2
  • Neptune RF screen
  • 1T Neonatal MRI, Hammersmith
  • Aberdeen Magnet
  • Aberdeen Magnet
  • David Hoult with Solenoid Coil
  • David Hoult, Jim Hutchison and Meg Foster
  • Martin Wood
  • Resistive Magnet
  • Wrist MRI on cover of Nature, Nottingham
  • Small resistive magnet, Nottingham
  • RF shielding, Nottingham
  • Mansfield, Bongartz, Rzedzian and Ordidge, Nottingham
  • Oops…

Some highlights from the History Chapters

  • Ian Pykett
  • 2T Magnet Delivery at Advanced NMR
  • Lady Jean and Sir Peter Mansfield, Dr Ian and Mrs Gwen Pykett
  • Paul Goddard
    Paul Goddard
  • Peter Walters
  • Eddy Boskamp