Who built the first whole-body MRI scanner used on a human?

Raymond Damadian built the first whole-body MRI scanner used on a human.

Damadian developed a large superconducting magnet and scanner called the Indomitable. In 1977, it produced the first magnetic-resonance image of a human body, an image of his associate Larry Minkoff’s chest.

MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves rather than ionizing X-rays. Damadian’s research showed that differences in nuclear magnetic-resonance signals could help distinguish normal tissue from tumors. Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield made separate foundational contributions to the imaging methods that turned MRI into a practical clinical technology.

The history is therefore shared among several scientists. Damadian is associated with building the first whole-body scanner, while Lauterbur and Mansfield received the 2003 Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning magnetic-resonance imaging.