Dr. Gabriel Lawrence is a doctor who briefly in the County General ER as the Senior Attending Physician. He was also Dr. Kerry Weaver's mentor. He is portrayed by Alan Alda.
History[]
During his time on the show, it becomes clear that he's suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, however when Dr. Mark Greene points this out, it's mistaken as jealousy, and when Lucy Knight brings it up to Dr. John Carter, her concerns are dismissed.
Though Lawrence himself doesn't want to admit his symptoms, he shows clear signs of his mental state deteriorating, including sudden bursts of irritability, struggling to find the right word, leaving his reading glasses in the lounge's freezer, and searching for his car on the wrong floor of the hospital's parking garage. He eventually chooses to retire after Greene sets up a false ER patient scenario to test his abilities.
As he waits for his son to pick him up so they can live in California together, he ends up being the only one able to diagnose a patient with a rare case of strychnine poisoning, and saves one last life before he leaves the ER.
Trivia[]
- Dr. Lawrence mentioned once that he used to work for the U.S. Army, which might've been a nod to Alan Alda's role in M*A*S*H as Hawkeye Pierce.