Harry Willis Miller | |
|---|---|
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| Born | July 1, 1879 |
| Died | January 1, 1977 |
| Occupation(s) | Physician, Seventh-day Adventist missionary |
Harry Willis Miller (July 1, 1879 – January 1, 1977) was an American physician,thyroid surgeon andSeventh-day Adventist missionary. Miller was avegetarian and pioneer in the development ofsoy milk.[1]
Miller was born inLudlow Falls, Ohio on July 1, 1879.[2] He graduated M.D. from theAmerican Medical Missionary College in Battle Creek, in 1902.[2][3] Miller studied atRush Medical College and authored an article onblastomycetes in theJournal of Dermatology in 1903.[4] With his wife Maude Thompson Miller, he went to Shanghai in 1903. She died less than two years later fromsprue.[4] Miller married Marie Iverson in 1908 and he remained in China until 1956.[3] With Arthur Selmon, he establishedThe Gospel Herald, which was renamed to Chinese Seventh-Day Adventist Press. It was moved to Shanghai in 1909, and in 1911 was renamed to the Signs of the Times Publishing House.[5] He specialized in surgery and as a missionary generalist. He served as a leader of theSDA Church in China.[3] It is estimated that Miller performed 6,000 thyroid operations.[6]
He served as superintendent of the China Mission in Shanghai (1908-1909) and established the China Training Institute inChouchiakou.[4] He returned to the United States in 1911. Miller was medical director and secretary ofWashington Sanitarium (1913–1925).[4] He returned toChina in 1925 and managed the Shanghai Hospital and Sanitarium. Miller researched the production of soy milk and published an article in theChinese Medical Journal on a soy infant formula in 1936.[4] Miller is credited in 1936 with starting the first production of soy milk inShanghai.[7]
Miller returned to the United States in 1939. He was medical director ofMount Vernon Hospital and established the International Nutrition Laboratory to producesoy products.[4] With his son he formed the International Nutrition Foundation on a 140-acre farm in Mount Vernon.[1] The soy farm produced canned and malted soy milk. His first American soy milk product was known as Soyalac in 1941.[1]
Miller administered hospitals in Shanghai,Hankou andHubei. He established theTaiwan Adventist Hospital in 1949.[3] He sold his factory, land, and soy milk products toLoma Linda Foods in 1951. Loma Linda Foods was owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[8] However, Miller continued to conduct research in at Loma Linda Food factory inLa Sierra until his death.[2] In 1956, he was awarded the Blue Star of China byChiang Kai-shek.[3] In 1960, Miller helped in forming theHong Kong Adventist Hospital.[6] In total there were 19 hospitals that Miller was instrumental in starting all over the Far East.[2]
A biography of Miller was published in 1961.[9] Miller died inRiverside, California on January 1, 1977.[2]
Miller stated that he became a vegetarian for its health and longevity aspects.[10] He was a pioneer in popularizingsoy milk as a satisfactory substitute for animal milk and making it available to feed the poor in areas where there was no cow's milk.[6][11] He conducted research on vegetarianmeat substitutes and proteins. He was influential in bringingsoy-based foods to the United States.[1]