When I lived in Atlanta, I met a young physician from Canton, before I had been introduced to Lake Arrowhead and eventually came to call Canton my city.  At the time I thought he was a capable doctor, especially interested in natural medicine but apparently well-trained in the other areas of medicine.

I was pleased to know that he was practicing family medicine, which was at that time, one of the newest declared specialties in the medical field.  Over the years, since I moved to Cherokee County, Dr. Homer Gold, Jr., has become my personal physician.  He has helped me become more physically fit and even discovered and guided me through the most serious health problem I’ve encountered, a triple by-pass more than a decade ago.

In the best sense of the words, Dr. Gold is a “country doctor.”  His nickname to his many friends is “Nugget.”  He is a discovery.  Why would I describe him as this kind of doctor?

First, he has a passion for medicine.  He studies the diseases, the newest innovations being tested and the drugs that have been most helpful for the symptoms patients describe to him.  With knowledge in every area exploding, that in itself is a formidable task.  But the “city” doctors also face that challenge.

When I was born in Douglasville, Georgia our “country doctor” came to our house and smoked a cigar on the front porch until my mother was ready to deliver me.   That rarely happens these days.  Other demands on doctors have almost eliminated “house calls” from physician services.  He probably doesn’t do as many today, but Dr. Gold is one of those doctors who made house calls.

In addition to his passion for medicine, he’s a compassionate man.  I see that as one of the major characteristics of what I have called “the country doctor.”  Too few of today’s physicians are driven by that desire to relieve the pain with which folks are afflicted.  It requires a special compassion.

In a world where there are many who expect anything that can be given to them with little sense of gratitude, a genuine caring motivation may be overlooked.  There’s a “country doctor” at the Medical Associates of North Georgia who still embodies those attributes – passion and compassion. I’m certainly glad he’s in Canton, and I can call him my doctor and my friend.