1983 - Baylor Acquires Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Scanner

A diagnostic tool employing a magnetic force 10,000 times greater than the earth’s magnetic field was installed in a specially insulated room at Baylor University Medical Center in 1983. Using radio waves and magnetic fields, the nuclear magnetic resonance scanner, which has become known as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), allowed physicians to see inside the human body without surgery or radiation. The method provided an image without the hazards of radiation. At the time Baylor acquired the MRI scanner, the FDA classified it as an investigational device. With the scanner, the medical center was able to participate in a research project that provided information leading to the clinical approval of MRI imaging.