In the 1970s, doctors had one main way to understand what was happening inside the body — either indirect signs or surgery.

If the diagnosis was unclear, sometimes they literally had to “open” a person to see the problem.

But one doctor decided that there had to be another way.

Raymond Damadian was convinced that different body tissues behave differently in a magnetic field. He hypothesized: if this could be measured, healthy tissue could be distinguished from diseased tissue — for example, locating tumors without surgery.

The idea sounded too bold. Many considered it useless.

Then he built his own device — a huge, cumbersome machine that resembled more an experimental setup than a medical instrument.

In 1977, something happened that changed medicine.

The first human volunteer was placed into this machine.

The scan lasted almost 5 hours. During all that time, movement was not allowed. Any movement meant the data had to be started over.

When the image was finally obtained, it became clear:
doctors saw internal body structures for the first time without incisions.

It was the first step toward what is today called MRI.

Now such machines are in hospitals worldwide. The examination takes minutes. Doctors see the brain, vessels, tumors, injuries — everything that previously had to be searched for blindly or during surgery.