Raymond Damadian with the MRI Scanner, 1977

The photograph shows Dr Raymond Damadian, who is regarded as one of the creators of the first MRI scanner. It was taken in 1977, when one of the first MRI examinations in history was being carried out. During the test Damadian worked with his assistant Larry Minkoff, who became one of the first people to undergo this new examination.

A large ring-shaped machine is visible. A young man sits inside it with his hands behind his head and a belt of metal rings around his chest. A man in a suit stands beside him.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gave doctors the ability to obtain detailed images of the human body without surgery.