What do you think?
Rate this book
A Machine Called Indomitable: The remarkable story of a scientist's inspiration, invention, and medical breakthrough
Signed and inscribed by Dr. Damadian on the half title page. (However the whole inscription andy may be stamped onto the half title page) There is a letter with FONAR Corporation letterhead from Dr. Damadian, authenticating that the book is a a signed copy. Also included is a "Newsscan" article from Applied Radiology where The Smithsonian Accepted the scanner it its Hall of Medical Sciences. Also included is an advertising page for the book.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
11 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Sonny Kleinfield
15 books9 followersSonny Kleinfield is a reporter for the New York Times and the author of eight books. He has contributed articles to the Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, Esquire, and Rolling Stone, and was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal before joining the Times. He shared in a Pulitzer Prize for a Times series on race in America, and has received a number of other accolades, including the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, the Meyer Berger Award, an American Society of Newspaper Editors Award, and the Gerald Loeb Award. A native of Fair Lawn, New Jersey, he is a graduate of New York University and lives in New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 15, 2020
It depends what you like. In the first 3 chapters of this book, the author not only begins to introduce his main character, the man who built the first functional MRI scanner, he goes into both the chemistry of water in normal animal cells and the physics behind NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). I loved it, though I found it hard to follow at times. Re-reading the section today on how NMR works, I can honestly say that I think I understand it! So, read carefully.
The rest of the book is devoted to two basic threads: 1. ) learning more about Raymond Damadian, the physician inventor of what we now call MRI (the name was changed from NMR to MRI (magnetic resonant imaging) in the 1980's so that the word "nuclear," which has some negative connotations, did not have to be used, and 2.) how Dmadain and his team built the first machine - Indomitable.
You would have thought that the first useful MRI machine would have been built by a team from General Electric, Toshiba or Siemens - big companies with millions of dollars to invest in research and development. Instead, taking the theory of NMR and applying it to obtaining an image of the inside of a human body was the work of one very devoted, actually obsessive and brilliant man and a supporting cast of very interesting and no less devoted helpers.
The fact that they actually built, from scratch, a superconducting magnet large enough to scan a human torso inside their lab at Downstate Medical Center, including building the coil and container for liquid helium, is beyond comprehension. In addition, Damadian had to continuously scrounge for money as almost no one believed that his idea would work or, even if it did work, that it would be practical or useful. An MRI scanner today takes up an entire room which must be shielded to prevent radio interference and distant effects of the huge magnets. Such a machine will cost well over $1 million.
So, readers who enjoy the physics and biology will be just as happy reading this book as those who enjoy medical history or those who reading the well written biography of a man who single handedly changed the world. Real story, but unbelievable.
The rest of the book is devoted to two basic threads: 1. ) learning more about Raymond Damadian, the physician inventor of what we now call MRI (the name was changed from NMR to MRI (magnetic resonant imaging) in the 1980's so that the word "nuclear," which has some negative connotations, did not have to be used, and 2.) how Dmadain and his team built the first machine - Indomitable.
You would have thought that the first useful MRI machine would have been built by a team from General Electric, Toshiba or Siemens - big companies with millions of dollars to invest in research and development. Instead, taking the theory of NMR and applying it to obtaining an image of the inside of a human body was the work of one very devoted, actually obsessive and brilliant man and a supporting cast of very interesting and no less devoted helpers.
The fact that they actually built, from scratch, a superconducting magnet large enough to scan a human torso inside their lab at Downstate Medical Center, including building the coil and container for liquid helium, is beyond comprehension. In addition, Damadian had to continuously scrounge for money as almost no one believed that his idea would work or, even if it did work, that it would be practical or useful. An MRI scanner today takes up an entire room which must be shielded to prevent radio interference and distant effects of the huge magnets. Such a machine will cost well over $1 million.
So, readers who enjoy the physics and biology will be just as happy reading this book as those who enjoy medical history or those who reading the well written biography of a man who single handedly changed the world. Real story, but unbelievable.
August 17, 2016
Who knew that the invention of the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) Spectroscopy had all the trappings of an epic drama. This book chronicles the life and work of Dr. Raymond Damadian and his quest to build a machine that could detect a tumor in any part of the body with a simple scan. As the title indicates, the machine was called Indomitable and the book chronicles Damadian’s struggle convincing the establishment that NMR Spectroscopy is for real.
Damadian’s vision was to build a machine that could do a full body scan and he was not willing to take any shortcuts. While he had figured out the basics of magnetic resonance, building a machine that could scan the entire human body was not straightforward. His first challenge was getting a magnet that was large enough to produce the required magnetic field. Since this really didn’t exist, Damadian and his colleagues Larry Minkoff and Michael Goldsmith set out to build one. They incorporated a company, FONAR in 1978 and built the first commercial whole body MRI scanner.
Dr. Damadian’s nemesis Dr. Lauterbur proved to be his alter-ego and Lauterbauer was awarded the Nobel prize for his work on NMR, while Damadian was not mentioned at all. This further exacerbated the already strained relations between the two scientists.
It is very inspiring to read about Dr. Damadian’s unflinching focus and purpose in building the Indomitable Machine. Most scientists and doctors at the time didn’t believe in the concept. Undeterred, Damadian pushed forward, somehow securing the funds needed to stay afloat and get the materials he needed to build a prototype. He stuck with his plan and had to surmount some rather huge obstacles to build a large magnet that a patient could be placed in. This is an inspiring read for anyone who is struggling to convince the establishment about their brilliant idea!
Damadian’s vision was to build a machine that could do a full body scan and he was not willing to take any shortcuts. While he had figured out the basics of magnetic resonance, building a machine that could scan the entire human body was not straightforward. His first challenge was getting a magnet that was large enough to produce the required magnetic field. Since this really didn’t exist, Damadian and his colleagues Larry Minkoff and Michael Goldsmith set out to build one. They incorporated a company, FONAR in 1978 and built the first commercial whole body MRI scanner.
Dr. Damadian’s nemesis Dr. Lauterbur proved to be his alter-ego and Lauterbauer was awarded the Nobel prize for his work on NMR, while Damadian was not mentioned at all. This further exacerbated the already strained relations between the two scientists.
It is very inspiring to read about Dr. Damadian’s unflinching focus and purpose in building the Indomitable Machine. Most scientists and doctors at the time didn’t believe in the concept. Undeterred, Damadian pushed forward, somehow securing the funds needed to stay afloat and get the materials he needed to build a prototype. He stuck with his plan and had to surmount some rather huge obstacles to build a large magnet that a patient could be placed in. This is an inspiring read for anyone who is struggling to convince the establishment about their brilliant idea!
September 28, 2016
Very well-written. The subject matter might not hold everyone's interest, and the ratio of scientific explanations to coverage of personal interaction is about 50:50. Read it if you're interested in the invention of the MRI, or if you're interested in the atmosphere of competition in the medical science field during the 1970s, or if you like inspiring success stories that involve oddball people. I'm related to someone who was on the original FONAR team. Based on my knowledge of events, the subject was researched in-depth, and the personal quotes and anecdotes sound accurate to me.
September 28, 2016
Very well-written. The subject matter might not hold everyone's interest, and the ratio of scientific explanations to coverage of personal interaction is about 50:50. Read it if you're interested in the invention of the MRI, or if you're interested in the atmosphere of competition in the medical science field during the 1970s, or if you like inspiring success stories that involve oddball people. I'm related to someone who was on the original FONAR team. Based on my knowledge of events, the subject was researched in-depth, and the personal quotes and anecdotes sound accurate to me.
November 13, 2015
Interesting description of the development of the first ever MRI machine that could scan a human. It's a good illustration of the endless dedication and perseverance scientific breakthroughs need, at times.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews