Frey Ellis

Frey Richard Ellis (22 September 1918 – 11 August 1978) was a British consultant haematologist at Kingston Hospital, best known for his research on vegan nutrition. He was president of The Vegan Society from 1964 to 1978.

Career

Ellis qualified from King's College London in 1943. He joined the RAMC and served in Italy until 1946. He was assistant pathologist at the London Clinic until 1949 and at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth. In 1972, Ellis argued that the Vegan Society was gaining popularity, commenting that "we have 1,200 members, an increase of about 700 in the last eight years". He wrote articles for The Vegan magazine.

In 1976, Ellis appeared in the Open Door TV series in the episode "The Vegan Society: To a Brighter Future". In the episode, Ellis argued that vegans have lower blood cholesterol than meat-eaters.

Legacy

Ellis has been cited as a pioneering scientist in the field of vegan nutrition. Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina have described Ellis as a "gentle man worked to show the scientific world that a vegan diet could be nutritionally adequate". Freya Dinshah has cited Ellis as an influence on her parents and sister who became vegan.

Selected publications

(with T. A. B. Sanders)