MB ChB Manch 1941, MD 1951; MRCS Eng LRCP Lond 1942.
Ball was born in Blackburn on 6 August 1918. After one year in junior appointments at Ancoats and St Mary's Hospitals, and four years war service as a pathologist, Ball joined the pathology department of University of Manchester and the Centre for the study of Chronic Rheumatism, as a lecturer in pathology in 1949. He was promoted to senior lecturer, then to reader, and finally to professor of osteo-articular pathology in 1978. Ball was also honorary consultant pathologist at United Manchester Hospitals. Ball was an internationally respected rheumatologist and orthopaedic pathologist. He served on many influential committees, such as the British Bone Tumour Panel and the MRC's working party on spinal tuberculosis. He was chairman of the Society for Backpain Research and president of the Heberden Society and was also a member of the Pathological Society of Great Britain. Ball died on 11 July 1990.