Born 23 August 1864, the second son of major (brevet lieutenant-colonel) John McDowell Elliot, of the 4th King's Own Royal Regiment of Foot. He was educated at Bedford School and at St Bartholomew's Hospital, where he gained the preliminary scientific exhibition and was awarded the Bentley prize for reports of cases from the wards in 1888. Entering the Indian Medical Service he was gazetted surgeon-lieutenant on 30 January 1892, and at Netley he was given the Montefiore medal and scholarship in military surgery and the Maclean prize in clinical medicine. He was put on sanitary duty in India 1892-94, and served on the NE frontier in the Chin Hills campaign in 1892-93 and received the medal and clasp. From 1904 to 1914 he was superintendent of the Government Ophthalmic Hospital, Madras, and professor of ophthalmology at the Madras Medical College, acting for a time as secretary to the Surgeon-general of Madras. He rose in rank, becoming surgeon-captain 30 January 1895, major 30 January 1904, lieutenant-colonel 30 January 1912, until on 13 April 1915 he retired and settled in London. Here he acted as reporter on glaucoma operations at the International Congress of Medicine in 1913; was Hunterian professor of surgery and pathology at the Royal College of Surgeons for the year 1917-18 and was chairman of the navy and military committee of the British Medical Association from 1917 to 1922. In 1919 he became lecturer on ophthalmology at the London School of Tropical Medicine and ophthalmic surgeon to the Prince of Wales Hospital. From August 1919 to 1925 he was examiner of surgical instruments at the Indian Store Department. He married Eva Catherine. Isabella (d 1925) the daughter of Deputy Surgeon-General Hutchinson, IMS, and by her had three sons. He died at Barnet on 9 November 1936; having practised during the latter part of his life at 54 Welbeck Street, WI. Colonel Elliot was a fine operator, and was especially skilled and interested in the treatment of glaucoma, for which he strongly advocated sclero-corneal trephining. He took a leading part in the negotiations which led to an increase in the grade, pay and pensions of officers serving in the Indian medical services. During his period of active service he was seconded to work with Sir Thomas Fraser in Edinburgh, on the action of snake poison. Throughout his life he was a skilful conjurer and was from 1919 chairman of the occult committee of "The Magic Circle". In this position he devoted much time to exploding various exhibitions of "magic". He would have none of the magical cures attributed to Indian medicine, declaring that there is nothing in Indian medicine which is unknown to Europe and he considered that such feats as transfixion of the tongue and neck are anatomically possible, while in "fire-walking" the essential factor is the almost incredible toughness of the feet of a people who always go barefoot. He gave full credit to the Indian conjurers' marvellous manipulative dexterity, but pointed out that the Indian repertory is extremely limited. As for "the rope trick" his conclusion was that no such trick has ever been performed. On snakes Elliot declared that the cobra is really timid and inoffensive, will not strike unless alarmed by a sudden movement, has a limited range, and does not always strike effectively. An antidote for snake bites, he said, has been found, but each variety demands its own antidote and the process of making it is not yet available for emergencies. Publications: Researches into the nature and action of snake venom. *Brit med J*. 1900, 1, 309 and 1146; 2, 217. *Sclero-corneal trephining In the operative treatment of glaucoma*. London, 1913; 2nd edition, 1914. *The Indian operation of couching for cataract*. London, 1918. *Glaucoma, a handbook for the general practitioner*. London, 1917. *Glaucoma, a textbook for the student*. London, 1918. *A treatise on glaucoma*. London, 1918; 2nd edition, 1922. These three works amplify the lectures he gave as Hunterian Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons, 1917-18. *Tropical ophthalmology*. London, 1920; translated into French, and into Spanish, 1922. *The care of eye cases*. London; 1921; translated into Chinese. *The myth of the mystic East*. London, 1934.