Robert Bell (6 January 1845 – 21 January 1926) was an English physician who specialised in gynaecology and

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

and was vice-president of the International Cancer Research Society. He was also a naturopath and medical writer who published several books on cancer and other diseases. Bell was an advocate for alternative cancer treatments, including vegetarianism. His promotion of such treatments led to the oncologist

Ernest Francis Bashford Ernest Francis Bashford OBE (1873 – 23 August 1923) was an influential English oncologist who pioneered the biological approach to the study of cancer. Early life Ernest Bashford was born in Bowdon, Cheshire, as the eldest son of William ...

accusing him of

quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, ...

in the '' British Medical Journal''; Bell successfully sued Bashford and the journal for libel.

Biography

Bell was born in Alnwick, on 6 January 1845. He studied at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and in Paris. Bell worked for 21 years at the Glasgow Samaritan Hospital for Women as senior physician. Bell moved to London in 1904. In 1909, he declined an offer of a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

cy. He was a council member of the

Order of the Golden Age The Order of the Golden Age (OGA) was an international animal rights society with a Christian, theosophical and vegetarian emphasis, which existed between 1895 and 1959. History The Order of the Golden Age (OGA) was founded by Rev. Henry Joh ...

, and the vice president of the International Cancer Research Society. Bell advocated

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

and a diet of uncooked vegetables and fruit, along with eggs and dairy as an optimal diet for maintaining health. Bell later led cancer research at Battersea Anti-Vivisection Hospital and worked to publicise his view that surgical treatment for cancer was unnecessary and that cancer was preventable by dietetic and hygienic measures. Bell recommended his cancer patients fresh air and a vegetarian diet of uncooked vegetables, nuts and dairy products. An article by the noted oncologist

published by the '' British Medical Journal'', in 1911, accused Bell of

for his cancer treatments; he successfully sued the author and journal for libel and was awarded £2,000 () damages plus costs.Austoker, Joan. (1988). ''A History of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, 1902-1986''. Oxford University Press. p. 66. In 1924, Bell published his autobiography, ''Reminiscences of an Old Physician''. He died at the age of 81, on 21 January 1926.

Selected publications

*
Sterility
' (London: Churchill, 1896) *
The Pathogenesis and Treatment of Cancer Without Operation
' (Glasgow: R.L. Holmes, 1900) *
Ten Years' Record of the Treatment of Cancer Without Operation
' (London: Dean, 1906) * ''Health at Its Best V. Cancer'' (Unwin, 1908) *
Cancer and Its Remedy
' (London: Medical Times Pub. Co., 1909) *
Reminiscences of an Old Physician
' (London: Murray, 1924)

Notes

References

External links

*
Works by Robert Bell
at HathiTrust * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Robert 1845 births 1926 deaths 19th-century English male writers 19th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English medical doctors Alumni of the University of Glasgow Medical School Alternative cancer treatment advocates Anti-vivisectionists British vegetarianism activists Cancer researchers English autobiographers English gynaecologists English medical writers English oncologists Fasting advocates Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Naturopaths People associated with the Order of the Golden Age Raw foodists