Herbert Ratner, M.D. 1907 – 1997
Dr. Herbert Ratner died on December 6, 1997, after a brief illness at age 90. He was for many a mentor, teacher, and friend. He was a convert to Catholicism from a liberal Jewish background and his love of the Church was exemplary and devout. He was unquestionably one of the outstanding medical philosophers of the twentieth century and his unique approach to healing as "doing for nature what she would do for herself if she were able" was an article of faith for his many students and disciples. His devotion to nature as God's handmaiden made his influence profoundly felt through the Catholic Medical Association, of which he was a past president, and the National Commission on Life, which he founded and directed. He was editor and publisher of Child and Family magazine, ajournal whose influence was widely recognized and whose quality was particularly sustained by his insightful editorial comments. His many contributions to Catholic thought resulted in his receiving the coveted Cardinal Wright Award from the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. He was that rarest of personalities, a true intellectual who was at the same time warm, approachable and witty. I first met him 50 years ago when he was the Student Health Director at Loyola Medical School. The Jesuit presence notwithstanding, it was his strong Catholic influence which dominated the student dialogue.