Frey Ellis

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Frey Ellis
Born
Frey Richard Ellis

22 September 1918
Allahabad, India
Died11 August 1978
Kingston upon Thames
OccupationHaematologist
Spouse
Joan Hodge
​
(m. 1942)​

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

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Ellis qualified from King's College London in 1943.[1] 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.[1] He obtained his MD in 1953 and joined the group laboratory at Kingston Hospital. In 1965, he was appointed consultant haematologist.[1] Ellis was a vegan and took interest in nutrition.[1] He was a scientific advisor to the Humane Research Trust and RSPCA.[1]

Ellis became a committee member and vice-president of the Vegan Society in 1961 and was its president from 1964 until his death in 1978.[2][3][4] 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".[5] He wrote articles for The Vegan magazine.[6]

In 1976, Ellis appeared in the Open Door TV series in the episode "The Vegan Society: To a Brighter Future".[7] In the episode, Ellis argued that vegans have lower blood cholesterol than meat-eaters.[8]

Legacy

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Ellis has been cited as a pioneering scientist in the field of vegan nutrition.[9] 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".[3]

In 1979, the Vegan Society established the Dr. Frey Ellis Research Fund in his memory.[10] Freya Dinshah has cited Ellis as an influence on her parents and sister who became vegan.[11]

Selected publications

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  • "The Nutritional Status of Vegans and Vegetarians". Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 26 (2): 205–212. 1967. doi:10.1079/PNS19670038.
  • "Veganism, Clinical Findings and Investigations". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 23 (3): 249–255. 1970. doi:10.1093/ajcn/23.3.249.
  • Vegan Nutrition. The Vegan Society. 1981. (with T. A. B. Sanders)[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Obituary". British Medical Journal. 2 (6139): 777–778. 1978.
  2. ^ "The Vegan Society". The Vegan. 12 (6). 1961.
  3. ^ a b Davis, Brenda; Melina, Vesanto (2000). Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-based Diet. Book Publishing Company. p. 4. ISBN 978-1570671036.
  4. ^ Jesper, Anne (2004). Raising Good Children. Lutterworth Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-0718830373.
  5. ^ "No Sweets for the Fruit and Nut Kids". Sunday People. 21 May 1972. p. 6. (subscription required)
  6. ^ "Ripened by human determination" (PDF). The Vegan Society. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Open Door: The Vegan Society 1976". YouTube. 2013. Archived from the original on 31 March 2013.
  8. ^ Oliver, Catherine (2024). What Is Veganism For?. Bristol University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-1529234343.
  9. ^ Koeder C, Perez-Cueto FJA (2024). "Vegan nutrition: a preliminary guide for health professionals". Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 64 (3): 670–707. doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2107997.
  10. ^ "Dr. Frey Ellis Research Fund". The Vegan. 26 (4): 11. 1979.
  11. ^ "Interview with Freya Dinshah" (PDF). Eugene Veg Education Network. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Vegan Nutrition". Trove. 2025. Archived from the original on 16 February 2025.