This past month our Chief Medical Officer Emeritus, Stuart Rosenthal, M.D., passed away. He was a unique man with an overpowering intellect and personality. He spoke seven languages and his interests were wide and varied from literature, to art, to travel to sailing. By training, Dr. Rosenthal was a rheumatologist. However, as many have said, he was the best diagnostician they ever encountered and he was referred to as a doctor’s doctor in Houston where he practiced medicine for over 35 years.
A graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, Dr. Rosenthal was board certified in Internal Medicine and a Diplomat (Emeritus) of the American College of Rheumatologists, as well as a professor at the University of Texas Medical School.
Dr. Rosenthal served as a medical officer in Vietnam and he chose to go into theaters of war as a med-evac. officer. This reflected his courage, commitment to his responsibility to save young American lives, and to his patriotism.
At Curus, he was always a probing voice of common sense medicine that saw our members holistically. He, on many occasions, would pick up the phone and call the treating physician with a simple question,
“Will this battery of tests you’re planning to run on this individual give you additional valuable data points from which to make the best diagnosis?” To Dr. Rosenthal, the practice of medicine remained an art and knowing the patient was a critical component in the treatment process.
Stuart was the loving husband of his lifelong partner Margie, and his two daughters Beth and Susie and his five grandchildren were the focus of his life.
Curus has lost an outstanding person and physician in the company and I have lost a lifelong friend of over 60 years. May his memory be a blessing for all who knew him.
Mark E. Schlussel
