MRM: The twenty‐fifth anniversary

Abstract

The first issue of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (MRM) was published in March 1984 amidst humble beginnings. We have waited until the end of 2009 to celebrate our 25th year of continuous publication. The first issue was modest by today's standards; it contained only 5 manuscripts and one of those was a Note. The first issue covered topics that are not unfamiliar to us: NMR diagnosis of cerebral tumors, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of skeletal muscle, magnetic field design, proton relaxation in a human tooth, and signal-to-noise penalty in projection reconstruction. The entire set of articles published in 1984 would easily fit into the issue you are now holding. Sadly, as the first issue was going to press, the Editorial Office learned of the death of Professor Felix Bloch, who shared the 1952 Nobel Prize for Physics with Edward M. Purcell for their independent discovery of NMR. Dr. Bloch and Professor E. Raymond Andrew, the first editor of MRM, had many engaging discussions concerning the creation of the journal. Dr. Bloch was an Honorary Member but never appeared on the first masthead due to his death. I have restored both Drs. Bloch and Purcell (who did appear as Honorary Member on the first issue) to their place on the masthead in this issue. Interestingly, two future Nobel Prize winners appeared on the first MRM Editorial Board in 1984: Richard Ernst and Peter Mansfield. There are other great stories behind every name on that first Editorial Board and it reads like a historical Who's Who of our field. The journal has had two great men who have served as our Editors in Chief. There have only been three editors in MRM's entire history. Professor Raymond Andrews began MRM in his offices at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He received no funds for operation and in his 7 years of service never had a computer to aid him. He was a remarkable scientist and gentleman. When he handed over the journal in 1991, he did so literally by handing Professor Felix Wehrli a large cardboard box. The box contained a stack of manuscripts and box of 3×5 cards. This was the entire MRM operation for a journal receiving 200 articles per year and which was moving to Philadelphia. Felix himself already had achieved a notable career and was known for his many contributions but may have been best known for his work in 13C NMR. His knowledge of computing led him to develop an electronic database and e-mail system for MRM many years before other publishers or journals. Thus, after 13 years under Dr. Wehrli's guiding hand, the journal was quietly passed to me in January 2004 (actually a few months earlier) after a tutorial as deputy editor for 7 years. In the past 5 years, I have struggled to follow their wonderful example. I should also say a “thank you” to each of you who have served long hours on the Editorial Board, as Associate Editor, as Deputy Editor, or as a Reviewer. A special thanks should go to all who have served as Managing Editor and Editorial Assistant; particularly Shannon Stepanian and Brandi Conroy. Over the last 25 years, MRM has been the “journal of record” for the development of magnetic resonance in medicine and biology. We have witnessed and recorded amazing developments in our field. We hope the next 25 are just as interesting. The journal's greatness, if any, is a reflection of your trust to record our most precious resource: the published record of our life's work. Tell us what we need to do, and what we need to be, to still be here at 50 years. Thanks for 25 years.