No, this blog is not about a rock star nor an actor, but we all should recognize his passing. Dr. Robert Schattner (he was born Isaac, but changed his name, while he attended the University of Pennsylvania Dental School) died the 29th of January (the second day of Shvat in the Hebrew calendar), at the age of 91, due to kidney failure.

Who was Bob Schattner? Well, most of you will recognize “Chloraseptic”, the spray he invented that makes our throats feel so much better. He also developed a specialized medical disinfectant, Sporicidin.

And, you know I love great stories. And, the invention of Chloraseptic is one such development. You see, Dr. Schattner was a dentist (with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from CCNY). And, he was attempting to develop an antiseptic that would help with the pain resulting from tooth extractions. It wasn’t even his direct idea. He was having a good time at a party (he lived in Queens at the time [1952]) and someone wanted to know if there was something that could help deal with his toothache- he had one of his teeth extracted. Except…

Schattner’s thought experiments centered on phenolic compounds (a class of mild anesthetics). Then, he when he moved his work to the lab, he managed to concoct a formulation that alleviated throat and mouth soreness. He tested the product at various dental offices, eventually expanding the trial work to drug stores. And, the product worked. Even though it was not quite what he wanted- but he did eventually make a killing off his invention. With that, he abandoned the practice of dentistry- and the city of New York. (He acquitted to DC.)

Now, this venture was no overnight success. Sales were about $ 6K in 1957- and by 1963, the gross revenue exceeded $ 1 million. So, he set up a bottling facility- and a national distribution system. Chloraseptic was now available as a spray, a liquid, and a lozenge- all helping to treat sore gums and throats. The next year, he sold his product line to Norwich Pharmacal (the folks who were selling Pepto Bismol) for $ 4 million- with a required 10% royalty through 1980.

By 1978, Dr. Schattner had developed and patented a new product, a microbiocide called Sporicidin. This found wide use in medical and dental offices, and within a dozen years or so, his company controlled about 25% of the cold sterilant market. (Besides chemical sterilants, steam and irradiation products are used to kill microbes .)

The problems started when the FDA (the Food and Drug Administration) began regulating the product; it had been under the sole control of the  EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) for years- which was and still is the responsible agency for disinfectants and sterilants.

In 1991, the FDA seized his inventory claiming the products didn’t work. Of course, the products did work- but the FDA felt that Sporicidin wasn’t adequate to reprocess medical equipment. (Much medical equipment is multiple use, requiring near sterilization; chemicals like Renalin and Sporicidin were used to eradicate potential microbial infections for that purpose.) After a few years, the FDA allowed Sporicidin to be used to reprocess medical equipment- but by then Schattner had lost market share (from over $ 15 million annual turnover to just a few million bucks), so he sold off the business (2008) to a firm (Contec) in South Carolina.

But, Dr. Schattner did many other things. He tried to buy the Washington Senators from Bob Short in 1971, before they abandoned ship to move to Texas (where they became known as the Texas Rangers). He also tried to but the Padres and transport them to DC from San Diego- but that effort went nowhere. (Ray Kroc- of McDonalds’ fame- got the team instead.)

Bob was one of the original owners of the Virginia Squires (American Basketball Association)- but he sold them in 1973.  And, he tried to buy the team across the street from my favorite (the Phillies)- the Philadelphia Eagles- also to no avail. He also tried to buy the Washington Redskins, but was outbid some $ 50 million by Daniel Snyder (the current team owner).

Dr. Schattner did donate plenty of money.  One of his efforts benefitted my particular community. Right near my shul is the Jewish Primary Day School. He helped the school purchase their second campus (a $ 3 million gift), to handle the dramatic growth in student population (as the Jewish population in the Shepherd Park neighborhood of DC  began to climb), and the school now teaches some 350 students.  That initial donation was anonymous- it was only recently that most of us learned of his help.

His alma mater also benefited- Schattner provided at least $ 15 million to the UPenn dental school. Actually, the bulk of the money came in two separate gifts- the bigger one ($ 10 million) revived their dental clinic and helped build the Schattner Center (the main school building). This gift, coinciding with the centennial of the dental school, followed his $ 5 million earlier donation.

All told, Dr. Schattner developed some 70 patented products and trademarks, served on the board of a local bank, as well as the Board of Overseers for UPenn School of Dentistry.

Oh. The best thing about Dr. Robert Schattner. He understood how things worked. When asked about his success?

” A combination of serendipity, luck, and perseverance.”

Alav HaSholom.  May his memory always be a blessing.

 

 

 

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