Harold Ellis qualified in Medicine at Oxford in 1948, the very month that the National Health Service was born. He trained in Surgery at Oxford, Sheffield, Northampton and London as well as spending two years in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a graded surgical specialist. He later served as civilian consultant surgeon to the Army. He was appointed the foundation Professor of Surgery at Westminster Medical School, (now part of Imperial College, London),in 1962.He retired from Surgery in 1989 and, since then, has taught Anatomy, first at Cambridge and now, since 1993, at Guy's. He has written or edited 27 text books on Surgery, Anatomy and Medical History. In 1987 he was appointed CBE for services to Surgery.