Robert Bell FRFPS (6 January 1845 – 21 January 1926) was an English physician and medical writer. He specialised in

gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

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 Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

and was vice-president of the International Cancer Research Society. He was also a

naturopath Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...

and published several books on cancer and other diseases. Bell was an advocate for

alternative cancer treatments Alternative cancer treatment describes any cancer treatment or practice that is not part of the conventional standard of cancer care. These include special diets and exercises, chemicals, herbs, devices, and manual procedures. Most alternative ...

, including

raw foodism Raw foodism, also known as rawism or a raw food diet, is the dietary practice of eating only or mostly food that is uncooked and unprocessed. Depending on the philosophy, or type of lifestyle and results desired, raw food diets may include ...

fruitarianism Fruitarianism () is a diet that consists primarily of consuming fruits and possibly nuts and seeds, but without any animal products. Fruitarian diets are subject to criticism and health concerns. Fruitarianism may be adopted for different rea ...

, and

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

. In 1912, he was accused in the ''

British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...

'' of quackery. He successfully sued them for libel and was awarded £2000 damages.

Life and career

Early life and education

Bell was born in

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea ...

, Northumberland, on 6 January 1845. His parents were Scottish and his father was a tanner. Bell was educated at Alnwick Grammar School. At the age of 15, he was apprenticed to a local medical practitioner. He went on to study for a M.B. and

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

. He also studied in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. During his time at university, studied under highly esteemed individuals, including

Lord Kelvin William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (26 June 182417 December 1907), was a British mathematician, Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and engineer. Born in Belfast, he was the Professor of Natural Philosophy (Glasgow), professor of Natur ...

and

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and pioneer of aseptic, antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Joseph Lister revolutionised the Sur ...

. As he transitioned to clinical practice, he took on the role of a dresser in one of Lister's wards.

Medical career

Early career in Glasgow

Bell started practicing medicine in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in 1868. In 1870 he was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow, and was also a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. In 1876, he founded the Glasgow Hospital for Diseases Peculiar to Women (later the Glasgow Hospital for Women). He worked there for 21 years as a senior physician. In the 1870s, Dr. Bell gained recognition for pioneering a new technique for treating

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

and creating a method to address

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

that prevented the occurrence of secondary fever. By the 1880s, he identified a link between constipation and illness, coining the term "autotoxemia" to describe the absorption of toxins into the bloodstream.

Alternate cancer treatment advocacy

Bell moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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 14th ...

cy from

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

, who had a strong interest in the problem of cancer and who had read one of Bell's books on the subject. In the same year, Bell gave a speech on the benefits of a fruitarian diet at the newly opened international headquarters of the Order of the Golden Age in London. He also served as a council member of the Order and as vice president of the International Cancer Research Society. From 1910, Bell led cancer research at Battersea Anti-Vivisection Hospital. He worked there to publicise his view that surgical treatment for cancer was unnecessary and that cancer was preventable by dietetic and hygienic measures. He recommended his cancer patients fresh air and a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

diet of uncooked vegetables and fruit, nuts, and dairy products.

Controversy and legal challenges

His advocacy for such treatments led to a sharp critique in 1912, when the ''

'' published an article titled "Cancer, Credulity, and Quackery" accusing him of promoting pseudoscience''.'' Bell successfully sued the journal for libel and was awarded £2000 in damages. In 1923, Bell was charged with an allegation of breaching medical etiquette. The charge was that he had prescribed treatment for and attended to a woman with cancer without having seen her in person. However, he was cleared of these charges.

Other interests

Micrography

Bell pioneered a form of

micrography Micrography (from Greek language, Greek, literally small-writing – "Μικρογραφία"), also called microcalligraphy, is a Jewish form of calligrams developed in the 9th century, with parallels in Christianity and Islam, He included a selection of his micrographs in his autobiography.

Poetry

In 1893, Bell published a collection of poetry titled ''A Physician's Poems'', which led to him being featured in David Herschell's ''One Hundred Modern Scottish Poets''. The feature included a biographical notice and selection of Bell's poems.''''

Later life and death

Bell published his autobiography in 1924, ''Reminiscences of an Old Physician''. He died at his home in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London, on 20 January 1926, at the age of 81. His funeral was held on 25 January at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...

Personal life

Bell married three times. His first marriage was to Christina Catherine Alexander in 1869 in

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...

, Scotland. They had five children, before her death in 1891. In 1893, he married Mary Allan Dobie at the parish church in

Keir Keir is a surname and given name shortened from Keiron. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Andrew Keir (1926–1997), Scottish actor * Colin Keir (born 1959), Scottish politician * David Keir (1884–1971), British actor * David Li ...

, Scotland, who died in 1899. His third marriage was to Clara Ellen Ross (née Sims) at St Mary Abbotts in

, in 1900.

Selected publications

*
Tuberculosis and Its Successful Treatment
' (Glasgow: David Bryce and Son, 1892)
''A Physician's Poems''
(Glasgow: David Bryce and Son, 1893) * '' Sterility'' (London: J. & A. 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
' (London: Unwin, 1908) *
Cancer and Its Remedy
' (London: The Medical Times Publishing Company, 1909)
"The Cancer Enigma"
(''

Medical Record The terms medical record, health record and medical chart are used somewhat interchangeably to describe the systematic documentation of a single patient's medical history and health care, care across time within one particular health care provide ...

'', 1920)
"Cancer is a Blood Disease and Should be Treated as Such"
(''Medical Record'', 1922) * '' Reminiscences of an Old Physician'' (London: John Murray, 1924)

References

External links

*
Works by Robert Bell
at

HathiTrust HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...

Works by Robert Bell
at the Wellcome Collection * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Robert 1845 births 1926 deaths 19th-century English male writers 19th-century English medical doctors 19th-century English non-fiction writers 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English medical doctors 20th-century English non-fiction writers Activists from Northumberland Alternative cancer treatment advocates Alumni of the University of Glasgow Medical School British cancer researchers British charity and campaign group workers English anti-vivisectionists English autobiographers English defamation case law English gynaecologists English health activists English male non-fiction writers English medical writers English oncologists English vegetarianism activists Fasting advocates Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Golders Green Crematorium Naturopaths People associated with the Order of the Golden Age People from Alnwick Raw foodists Writers from Northumberland English people of Scottish descent