Sir Peter Mansfield delivering his banquet speech.
Copyright © Nobel Media AB 2003
Photo: Hans Mehlin

Sir Peter Mansfield’s speech at the Nobel Banquet, December 10, 2003

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Honoured Laureates, Ladies and Gentlemen:-

The sparkle, the jubilation, the sheer grandeur of the Nobel Fest, is a most splendid occasion in which we, by your grace, have been invited to participate. We feel greatly honoured to be here and especially honoured to receive the Awards for our work in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

But there is another, darker side to our work. This side is expressed in the suffering and mental anguish associated with those afflicted with devastating illness. It is therefore all the more rewarding for us when someone takes a moment to write thanking us for the peace of mind felt by them in revealing their problem through MRI. In many cases accurate diagnosis together with surgical and/or drug intervention indicates a brighter future beyond the illness.

Of the many letters received recently what comes through in much of the correspondence is the strong sense of relief at knowing the details of their illness and the hope inspired by the rigorous evaluation of their problem using MRI.

Many patients offer their profuse thanks that such machines now exist. A few comment on the claustrophobic affects of tight confinement, while some people have commented on the rather high level of acoustic noise that occurs during the scanning process. They will all be pleased to know that these problems are not being ignored but rather, are the subject of intensive effort in continuing research and development.

We now wish to express our deep gratitude for the honours bestowed on us this day and we offer our thanks for the opportunity to be here present.

Thank you.