As a result of the recent expansion of nuclear magnetic resonance in biomedicine, a number of workshops and schools have been organized to introduce the NMR principles to a wider group of biologists, radiologists, neurologists, etc. The aim of most of these courses was to provide a common vocabulary and enough information about ``pulse sequences'', relaxation times, etc. in order to facilitate the use of the various types of NMR imaging systems. However, no courses were organized for the physicists who were responsible for the origin and evolution of the ideas in this area. This Enrico Fermi school was therefore organized. The topics discussed included the theoretical interpretation and prediction of NMR signals, the study of new imaging techniques up to the building of special r.f. coils and the study of new methods for analysing NMR data in the time domain.