Skip to main content

NMR and MRI: Applications in Chemistry and Medicine

Location: Stony Brook, NY, USA
Date: 1970s
Category:
Creator(s): Lauterbur, Paul
In the early 1970s, American chemist Paul C. Lauterbur demonstrated that nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) could be used to generate images of macroscopic objects. In the years following, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been refined as a technique for the detailed resolution of internal structures. Lauterbur’s invention thus created a powerful diagnostic tool for the non-invasive examination of body tissues such as the brain, heart, and muscles. It allows for the early detection of cancer and other diseases. Lauterbur shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in the development of MRI.
Tags: Era: 1970-1979
Innovation designated by:
Original Image: Courtesy of Flickr/Everyone's Idle (CC BY-SA 2.0)
NMR and MRI: Applications in Chemistry and Medicine
Address:
University
100 Nicolls Road
Stony Brook, NY, USA

University

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.