A Tribute to Norman J. Schatz by Nancy J. Newman and Steven L. Galetta

The wonderful life of Dr. Norman J Schatz has been chronicled in the pages of this journal an unprecedented 2 times,1,2 and his obituary was recently published in the NY Times.3 He has influenced the careers of many in our field, and he has changed for the better countless lives of his patients. He was one of the most charismatic physicians ever to grace neurology and neuro-ophthalmology, and his clinical skills were unparalleled. The personal and professional stories that have passed from generation to generation about him are legendary. We highlight some of these stories and the influence that “Schatz” had on our careers over 40 years to capture some of the anecdotes that made him so special. Nancy Newman: I first met Norman Schatz in March of 1980 in Valbella, Switzerland. I was finishing up my master's degree in art history in London when my brother, Steve, agreed to meet me in Europe and drive me to Dresden (yes, East Germany at the time) to see the painting on which my master's thesis was based, and then travel to Switzerland for the International Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (INOS) and Walsh combined meeting. Steve was about to become Neil Miller's fellow in neuro-ophthalmology. I was not yet even in medical school, and the meeting sessions held little interest for me, but every night in the hotel bar, there was Dick Sogg on the piano, Dave Knox, and, yes, Schatz! Schatz had already had one heart attack, was still smoking cigars, and my brother warned me not to get too attached because Norman was not expected to live much longer from all his risky behavior. Nonetheless, Schatz became my go-to guy, my super mentor, especially when it became time to decide about my neurology residency, fellowship, and my first academic job. He was larger than life, a brilliant clinician, an exceptional teacher, a captivating personality that exuded joy and love of life. At times irreverent, and always hilarious, Schatz lived his legend with gusto, whether flanked by 2 beautiful blonds (“my heart and lung machines”), faking a seizure in a restaurant or a stroke so Joel Glaser's red Alfa Romeo would not be towed at the airport, telling jokes (his “stories”: think “coconuts,” “windshield wipers,” “if she dies, she dies”), or dropping a $20 bill to prove a “blind” patient could see, Schatz was always pure Schatz. Simmons Lessell used to wonder what it was that made Norman so attractive; after all, he was a short little balding Jewish guy, not exactly your typical Adonis, but attractive and magnetic he was right up to his final days. Many (many) years ago, on the occasion of my 50th birthday (his 70th), Schatz came to Atlanta to celebrate with a group of 40 of my local and distant friends. We had such a good time that we decided to make my 50th birthday an annual summer event. Schatz rarely missed one, and he developed a new circle of adoring friends who each year looked forward to his arrival, his presence, and his glow. He was planning to be back this year—he was there in spirit, and what a wonderful spirit it will always be. Thank you Schatzie; you will live on in the memories of the thousands of people you have touched over your 88 years of joy in living! Steven Galetta: Norman Schatz was electric both as a teacher and as a mentor. I first met Norm as a junior resident in neurology at Penn in 1984. By a crazy circumstance of the time, the neuro-ophthalmological patients at Wills Eye Hospital who required admission were sent to University of Pennsylvania. We used to call them “Wills Eye Rockets” since these patients were rapidly sent from Center City to West Philadelphia for inpatient care. Sometimes, we would get multiple “Rockets” in one day. Often, we had a simple formula for taking care of our patients who were referred from Wills Eye Hospital; a CT scan, lumbar puncture, and pulse intravenous methylprednisolone were routine since many of them had optic neuritis. The volume was so large that there was one service dedicated to the neuro-ophthalmology inpatients, and one service was designed for patients with everything else. Each day, one of the distinguished neuro-ophthalmologists, including Drs. Norm Schatz, Peter Savino, Bob Sergott, and Mac Bosley, would come over to Penn and round with us residents for the admitted patients. I did everything I could to be on that service. I would also use my elective time to follow Norm around while he was on service. It was such high yield and fun! Norm would make fun of you and also of himself. He was refreshingly honest about your limitations as well as his own. What amazed me most about Norm was that he was almost instantaneous in coming up with the right diagnosis. I would have barely entered the room, and the diagnosis was already established by Norm. He was certainly better than the CT scan, which was often useless for the brainstem lesions we were seeing. Norm usually rounded one day of the week, and he would draw the lesions on paper for us. He was amazing with anatomy, and this explains why the radiologists would both love and fear Norman Schatz. Norm would tell them what they were missing because he knew exactly where the lesion was located. Each week, we would bring 1 or 2 patients down to a conference room for Norm to meet and to discuss. He would put on quite a show for everyone in the room, including the patient. He would make the patient feel at ease, and there was often a “banter” between Norm and the patient. He would draw the relevant anatomy on the chalkboard; I remember diligently trying to copy Norm's diagrams. I wish only that I had had a phone camera; it would have been a lot easier. One particular patient with a dorsal midbrain syndrome stands out; Norm went to work on the chalkboard behind him. The drawing of brainstem lesions probably helps explain his love of art.4 He drew the midbrain and then all of these nuclei that we had never heard of. The interstitial nucleus of Cajal was one of his favorites. He then started to draw a nucleus for eyelid control. He said that he did not know its name but that “you will find it in the Zee paper.” Well, I spent months looking for that David Zee paper, and I could not find it. I finally had the courage to tell Norm about my failure to find the paper. He turned to me, threw up his hands, laughed, and said, “I made it up, but a nucleus should still be there for the eyelids.” Years later, the nucleus of the posterior commissure was found to be important in eyelid control. Norm was also notoriously famous outside of the hospital. When encountered, we called them “Norm sightings.” Let us just say that everyone wanted to be around Norm because he was so entertaining. He had a following. He was a hit at the annual neurology graduation dinner. The dinner was a formal affair on the grounds of the Wharton Sinkler Estate. Often, it was a boring event until Norm would suddenly bust-in, wearing relatively casual dress and a big white Panama hat. It looked like he was ready for a beach party. Norm's entry was usually timed to occur just before dessert was being served. The mood would loosen tremendously, and you could hear all of the chatter and whisper about who had just entered the room. After some cheering of his name, he would take over the podium and start telling some jokes. Everyone headed home with big smiles on their faces. As luck would have it, I went to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute for neuro-ophthalmology fellowship in 1987. Norm, who had been at Wills Eye and Penn for my entire residency, had decided to move to Miami full time to be in the sun and with his good buddy Dr. Joel Glaser. Norm did not have his own office, and he was a voluntary faculty member at the time. Joel gave him a little piece of his office in the back. They would ride in together in Joel's very tiny red sports car. It reminded me of a scene from the Flintstones with Fred and Barney. I always envisioned Joel and Norm picking up that car and moving it with their legs. Joel and Norm were not early risers and would get to clinic around 10 am They would handle the cases together. So, you would get 2 opinions at once. Sometimes, they would end up in separate rooms, and Joel would call out—“Schatz get in here now”…or he would say—“go get Schatz.” Norm and Joel were quite the team—and what a friendship! Being a lover of neuroanatomy, Norm was an absolute master at reading the new technology called MRI. It was the first year that Norm, Joel, and Dr. J. Lawton Smith would share training of the fellows; we benefited enormously from the strengths of these 3 legends in neuro-ophthalmology. Norm was amazing at diagnosis, Joel was a great scholar, and Lawton made it all so memorable. Following fellowship, Norm would stay in touch; he would not stay on the phone for long but would say, “I'm just checking on you, pal.” That would be enough to send me to the moon—and I felt ready to take on the next challenging case knowing that Norm would forever be at my side. Today, I can feel his presence and I know that I will ask myself, “What would Norm do?” I am sure the many trainees whose careers he has touched will do the same, and his vibrant spirit will live on. See photo collage below.A Farewell “Ode to Schatz”: There once was a fella’ named Schatz In whose life he has worn many hats From the year he was born in He's been Stormin' Norman And everyone knows he is bats! Upon neuro-oph Norman prats With students and colleagues he chats Diagnostician – the best! He out-thinks all the rest Among fleas, he’s the best of the gnats! A robust piece of man is our Schatz In shape are his abs, pecs and lats He has more than 9 lives Don’t know how he survives Joke-telling and painting, perhaps? The best of all friends is our Norman The connections with young folk still formin' At the Oyster Bar we will rally Friends too many to tally For many more years, keep on stormin'!! He's with us today, our dear Schatz In each of our smiles, and that's Why we must carry on And sing our next song With the joy and the spirit of Schatz! Images from the top and from left to right: Seated: Joel Glaser, Schatz, Jonathan Trobe, Dan Boghen, James Lewis. Standing: Valerie Biousse, Nancy Newman, Schatz, Steve Galetta. Standing: Bob Daroff, Simmons Lessell, Schatz Left: Schatz with a glass of wine. Center: Schatz (aka Albert Einstein). Center: Nancy Newman and Schatz. Right: Schatz with sign. Left: Schatz with Joel Glaser. Right: Tom Carlow, Joel Glaser, Bill Hoyt, Bob Daroff, Schatz. Lower left: seated: Grant Liu, Schatz, Mark Moster, standing: Nancy Newman, Steve Galetta, Valerie Biousse. Lower right: Grant Liu, Dick Sogg, Mark Moster, Valerie Purvin, Schatz