Raymond Damadian
Early Life and Education
Raymond Damadian was born on March 16, 1936 in Forest Hills, New York. His parents were Armenian immigrants who had fled the genocide in their homeland. Damadian showed an early interest in science and was particularly fascinated by the human body and its workings.
He attended the University of Wisconsin, where he studied mathematics and physics. He then went on to medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, where he earned his medical degree in 1960.
Career and Invention of MRI
After completing his medical studies, Damadian focused his research on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a technique used to study the structure of molecules. He was particularly interested in the potential of NMR to detect cancer in the human body.
In 1970, Damadian made a groundbreaking discovery: he found that the relaxation times of NMR signals were significantly longer in cancerous tissue than in healthy tissue. This finding suggested that NMR could be used to detect cancer in the human body.
Damadian's discovery led him to the idea of using NMR to create images of the inside of the human body. He filed a patent for his idea in 1972, and in 1977, he and his team built the first MRI scanner, which they named "Indomitable".
Controversy and Recognition
Despite his significant contributions to the development of MRI, Damadian's work has been the subject of controversy. In 2003, the Nobel Prize for the invention of MRI was awarded to Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield, but Damadian was not included. This decision sparked a heated debate in the scientific community, with many arguing that Damadian's contributions were crucial and deserved recognition.
Despite the controversy, Damadian has received numerous awards and honors for his work. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1989, and in 2001, he received the National Medal of Technology from President George W. Bush.
Personal Life
Damadian is married to Donna Terry Damadian, and they have two sons. He is a devout Christian and has spoken publicly about his faith on numerous occasions. He is also an accomplished violinist and has performed with various orchestras.
See Also
- Nuclear magnetic resonance
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
