James Barrett Brown (1899-1971), head and neck surgeon of a half century ago.

This article summarizes the life and work of James Barrett Brown, MD (1899-1971), a plastic surgeon from St Louis, Mo, whose many contributions to the knowledge of surgery include his pioneering use of large split-thickness skin grafts to resurface defects. Along with a coauthor, he published an excellent book on radical neck dissection in 1954 (Neck Dissections, published by Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Ill). Brown was a leading figure in the organization of high-quality plastic surgical care to injured soldiers in World War II. His training program in plastic surgery at Barnes Hospital in St Louis provided education to many leaders in the field. He received a number of honors for his many accomplishments.