Early studies on the biological effects of high-intensity magnetic fields

In 1892, Frederick Peterson described the experiences of humans exposed to magnetic fields of strength comparable to those currently used in magnetic resonance imaging. These investigations were conducted in the Edison Laboratory. None of the subjects exposed to constant and to time-variable magnetic fields suffered any ill effects. Peterson concluded that the human organism was in no way appreciably affected by the most powerful magnets known to nineteenth-century science. Peterson can be credited with the first truly scientific assessment of the biological effects of high-intensity magnetic fields. His experiments on humans, done one century ago with great cogency and skill, provide a source of inspiration to modern studies on magnetic resonance imaging.