Professor was a pioneer of MRI scanning

Professor Francis Smith, the pioneer of diagnostic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and a former Dundee United doctor, has died aged 79.

He showed how the MRI scanner, developed in Aberdeen by Professor John Mallard and Dr Jim Hutchison, could be used in a diagnostic clinical setting.

The breakthrough led to faster clinical examination and more accurate diagnoses of cancer and other conditions.

He was born in Essex to radiologist William (Bill) Smith and his wife Marianne.

In the 1950s, the family moved to what was then Southern Rhodesia and Francis was educated in Salisbury along with his sister Mary.

At 20 he came to Aberdeen University to study medicine and, in 1969, began work as a junior house doctor at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where he continued to practice for almost 40 years.

Shortly after, he met his future wife Pamela, a senior nursing sister in accident and emergency at the hospital and the pair married in December 1970, six weeks after meeting.

His daughter, Jane Allan said: “My dad started the world’s first clinical trial of MRI in 1980 and the world’s first diagnostic MRI service at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 1981.’’

Between 1980 and 1991 he worked in collaboration with a number of clinicians globally, exploring the applications of MRI, being first to show the potential of MRI to examine the abdomen and pelvis as well as for the study of pregnancy.

By the late 1980s, nearly 2,000 MRI scanners were in use worldwide.

He finished his NHS practice at Woodend Hospital where he was senior consultant until 10 years ago when he left the NHS and started working at Medserena in Kensington, London, undertaking research to the benefits of using the upright MRI that had been developed by Fonar and Raymond Damadian, the original creator of MRI.

Professor Smith later extended his medical interest to the application of sports medicine and associated injuries.

He was club doctor at Montrose, Dundee United and then Peterhead. With the recent global disruption due to Covid he left Medserena in London and joined the ROC private clinic at Westhill.

A spokesperson for the ROC clinic said: “‘Professor Frank Smith played a critical role in the recent establishment of our imaging department and he was never short of extending his assistance as ROC has grown.

“He was a wonderful role model for his team, clients, and co-workers, and will be sadly missed.”

Professor Smith is survived by his wife, Pamela, children Jane and James, grandsons Max, 22, Theo, 14, and Sebastian, 6.

TRAIL-BLAZER: Professor Francis Smith was a medical pioneer.