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The world of Plastic Surgery has lost one of its most
iconic figures with the passing of D. Ralph Millard, Jr.
A Life Member of ISAPS, Dr. Millard died quietly at
his North Miami Beach home on June 19 th , at the age of
ninety-two. An indefatigable scholar, lecturer, author,
educator, innovator, and master clinician, he will be
most remembered for the power of his thought. At once
creative, original, and brilliant…he was also disciplined
(principled, he would have said), bringing an aspect that
is not always, or even often, associated with the concept
of genius. From an early age, he shunned the prosaic and
routine: in his approach to his own education and training
in Plastic Surgery (with a minimum of time devoted to
prerequisite general surgery, his was a patchwork exposure
to many of the greats of the day, with his transformational
year under Gillies falling early rather than later within
the cycle), in his extensive authorship (wherein he broke
all the rules then in place for medical writing, beginning
with his classic collaboration with the now Sir Harold, The
Principles and Art of Plastic Surgery, as unconventional in
its day as it remains entertaining, even to this day), in his
scientific presentations (when his name was announced
from the podium of the First International Congress of
Plastic Surgery in Stockholm to present his revolutionary
paper on unilateral cleft lip repair, the young unknown
began his formal presentation in a stentorian voice from
the rear of the hall and continued all the way to the dais,
adding the additional “in transit” minutes to his total
44 IPRAS Journal www.ipras.org Issue 5
I N L O V I N G M E M O R Y
Obituary of D. Ralph Millard, Jr., M.D.
June 4, 1919 - June 19, 2011
presentation time), and, of course, in the daily planning
and execution of the repairs he brought to his most
difficult reconstructive challenges.
That some prickly, more senior members of the plastic
surgical establishment would find him brash was no
surprise. But this penchant was then compounded by
his compulsive commitment to straight talk and frank
opinion, a bluntness that, while admirable and refreshing
to many, was impolitic to some and incendiary to a fewwho
would take unconcealed umbrage at his remarks and
assessments. Thus, early on, his membership in national
societies would be blocked for extended periods. In spite
of this, he was elected President of both the Plastic Surgery
Educational Foundation and the American Association
of Plastic Surgeons, as well as Vice-Chair of the American
Board of Plastic Surgery…all positions that brought him
pride. The arrogance that some attributed to him was never
in evidence to this trainee, who spent two years with him
following a residency taken elsewhere; instead, I saw only
profound humility for his best efforts (and they were always
his best efforts) on behalf of his patients, especially those
with more serious deformity. In common with other great
individuals, he remained his harshest, most unforgiving
critic. It was also refreshing to be in the company of one
who, in the mid 1970s, approached aesthetic surgery
with the same dedication and respect that he did all of
Plastic Surgery. He was a pioneer in rejuvenation of the
neck and the first to advocate submental lipectomy. He