Gerald Vincent Doyle was born on 14 October 1892, the son of John Patrick and Mary Anna Doyle. His brother Leo also entered medicine and was a famous surgeon in the era of Sir Alan Newton and Sir Hugh Devine. There were two other brothers who entered the family business.

Doyle was educated at the Parade Christian Brothers’ College, East Melbourne, and graduated in both science and medicine at the University of Melbourne. He entered general practice in the town of St Arnaud in the Wimmera wheat growing district of Victoria in 1919. He went to England in 1929 where he obtained the MRCP. In 1934 he was appointed as outpatient physician at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, a position he held until his retirement due to illness in 1953. After World War II he also began an allergy clinic at St Vincent's Hospital as well as his general medical clinic.

Dr Doyle had many interests outside medicine. He was an excellent pianist and also delighted in writing short stories for children. He was ambidextrous and could write as clearly with his left hand as with the right. In the middle 1940s he acquired a dairy farm at Arthur's Creek about twenty miles from Melbourne. He specialised in breeding Jersey cows, was one of the pioneers who introduced artificial insemination to cattle breeding and introduced a highly selected strain from New Zealand.

In 1953 he suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis and after a period in a sanatorium had a partial lobectomy performed with great success. On his recovery he became a relieving medical officer with the Commonwealth Health Department. As well as carrying out duties with the Melbourne office he relieved the medical officers at Norfolk Island and Cocos Island on a number of occasions. While carrying out these duties he gave such excellent service that he was awarded an MBE.

Dr Doyle had a mild stroke in 1968 and died in his sleep on 11 June 1969.