James Riddell Bell graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1917, and immediately enlisted in the Austalian Imperial Force (Medical Corps) and went overseas. On his return he was appointed resident medical officer at the Melbourne Hospital in 1920, and in the following year went to London for postgraduate studies. He was admitted MRCP in 1921. While in London, he developed a special interest in diseases of the stomach and intestines.
Following his return to Melbourne in 1924, he was appointed to the staff of the Alfred Hospital as physician to outpatients, and he commenced practice in the city, having rooms in Parliament Place. In 1933, he was appointed physician to inpatients and lecturer in clinical medicine. He served on the council of the British Medical Association (Victorian branch) from 1930 to 1933. In 1938, he was made a foundation Fellow of the RACP, and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
In 1940, he again enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Corps as a physician, with the rank of major in the 2/7 Australian General Hospital which sailed for the Middle East in January 1941. He retired on his return to Australia in 1943.
Jim Bell was a man of great charm and presence, and gave the impression that he had been reared in a sheltered, privileged environment. Always courteous, he appeared shy and aloof. He was not a good communicator to students or interns, and made no great impact on their training. In his later years he retired to Mount Eliza and was not seen at medical gatherings, or around the hospitals.