Saul Bralow, 90, prominent gastroenterologist

Saul Philip Bralow, 90, formerly of Center City, a leading gastroenterologist and educator, died Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Pines of Sarasota, an assisted-living residence in Florida.

Dr. Bralow joined the faculty of Temple University School of Medicine in 1950. In 1969, he became a professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University.

In 1975, he moved to Sarasota, where he maintained a private practice and became a clinical professor at the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

From 1983 until 1997, he was a clinical professor of medicine at Graduate Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Returning to Florida after retiring, Dr. Bralow founded a gastroenterology clinic for seniors at Sarasota Hospital.

He was the author of more than 75 papers and 40 abstracts, and contributed to numerous books and journals.

Dr. Bralow was an active member of many professional associations. His honors include the 1970 national award for professional education and community service from the American Cancer Society, and the 1985 physician of the year award from the National Foundation of Ileitis and Colitis.

He was an internationally renowned gastroenterologist, said his daughter-in-law, Lisette Bralow. Locally, she said, his patients included several prominent Center City restaurateurs whom he treated for ulcers.

Dr. Bralow grew up in Overbrook, where he was known to his closest friends as "Socky." His parents, who had emigrated from Ukraine, operated a fish market in Northeast Philadelphia.

After graduating from West Philadelphia High School in 1938, he earned a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1942. He earned a medical degree from Temple University in 1945. He interned and completed a residency in gastroenterology at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, completed a residency in internal medicine at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Hines, Ill., and was a teaching fellow in gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He earned a master's degree in medicine from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1949.

Dr. Bralow sailed on the Chesapeake Bay for many years, collected native masks from around the world, and enjoyed 20th-century modern art. He was an avid fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and had season tickets for some 50 years.

He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Suzanne Bralow; a son, David; stepchildren Jeffery and Richard Sterling and Kerry Alers; and 12 grandchildren. His first wife, Roberta Margolis Bralow, died in 1981. Son Andrew died in 1994.

Services were private.

Donations may be sent to the Andrew P. Bralow Memorial Scholarship, Temple University Beasley School of Law, 1719 N. Broad St., Philadelphia 19122.