James Emery Gould (who usually called himself 'Emery Gould') was born in 1849 at St Martin in the Fields, Middlesex. He was the third son of Edward and Rebecca Gould.  Edward and Rebecca also had a daughter. By 1861 father Edward was in business as a homœopathic chemist. Emery was younger brother of Edward Gardiner Gould.

Emery graduated from Edinburgh University in 1872 as a qualified allopathic physician (LRCP, LM). He was Obstetric Assistant at Middlesex Hospital, London, and Senior House Surgeon at the Liverpool and Berkshire Homœopathic Dispensaries in England.

On 20 February, 1873 he arrived in Melbourne aboard the "Lincolnshire". According to newspaper reports of the time, the saloon passengers were so happy with him and his services that they took him out to dinner and presented him with a suitably inscribed silver claret jug.

On 6 June 1874 he married Irish immigrant, Louie Adelaide Jane O'Shaughnessy, who was born in Dublin. Louie had arrived in Melbourne in 1871, along with two other female family members. Emery and Louie did not have any children.

In April 1873, at the time of Emery's approval as a suitably qualified medical practitioner in Victoria, he was living in St Kilda. Initially his practice was listed as being at 93 Collins Street East in Melbourne, which was located next to the Independent Church on the corner of Russell Street. There he shared premises with Dr Günst, with whom he had formed a medical partnership. When Dr Günst resigned as honorary physician at the Melbourne Homœopathic Dispensary in October 1873, Dr Gould was appointed in his place.

Dr Gould wrote Homœopathy and its Professors in 1873. This was a 14 page summary of its principles, practice, and results.

"The object of this pamphlet is to show what Homœopathy is and is not; who its professors are; to give an idea of how wide-spread is this so-called heresy; and lastly, to show the shallowness of some of the objections made to the principles of the system."

From December 1873 the Williamstown Chronicle advertised that Dr Gould would treat patients twice per week at Bailey's Chemist in Nelson Place. (Edward Lee Bailey was the Williamstown agent for Gould & Martin's homœopathic medicines.) Later this was increased to three times per week and in April 1876 it became every afternoon. However, this arrangement ceased in June 1876, stating that this was because of the increase in his practice in Melbourne.

The Günst-Gould partnership did not last long and was dissolved on 14 October 1874. Dr Gould moved to 126 Collins Street East.

Although Dr Gould was honorary physician to the Melbourne Homœopathic Dispensary, advertisements from September 1874 to August 1875 stated that he was also providing consulting services at Poulton's homœopathic pharmacy where Mr Poulton had established the 'Self-Supporting Homœopathic Dispensary'. Poulton was 'Chemist and secretary'. According to advertisements of the time, a payment of 10 shillings fortnightly entitled a patient to consult the physician at any or all of the days and hours of attendance.

Dr Gould became a Member of the Council and one of the Lecturers for the Health Society of Victoria. He gave public lectures on various issues related to health such as 'Food and what becomes of it'; 'The blood: its circulation and derangements'; 'In the Nursery'.

In May 1878 Dr Gould resigned as the honorary physician to the Melbourne Homœopathic Dispensary.

In February 1879 an unusual notice appeared in some newspapers stating that people were 'startled by the flight of Dr E. Gould' and that he had left Melbourne leaving 'a large number of lamenting creditors'. By May 1879 advertisements stated that he had resumed practice at 126 Collins Street East. However, shipping records for 29 December 1879 show that he had arrived in Sydney from Hong Kong, having been the Surgeon aboard the 'Normanby', so the return to his Collins Street practice did not last long.

Just a few months later, Dr Gould left Victoria and in April 1880 was appointed as Medical Officer for the Bulli Colliery and district in New South Wales.

However an advertisement in October 1880 stated that he had commenced practice in Wollongong. He could be consulted at Miss Gordon's in Smith Street. In February 1881 advertisements stated that he could be consulted at his surgery at Market Square, opposite Lysaght's Hotel or at Mr Hosking's Medical Hall at Crown Street. His private residence was at Miss Gordon's, Smith Street. By May 1881 he was practising at his 'new surgery', located immediately opposite the office of the Mercury newspaper in Crown Street. In July his name appeared on the New South Wales Public Service List as a public vaccinator for the district of Wollongong.

He must have been having financial difficulties as he appealed for his debtors to provide payment.

There was no mention of him in the newspapers from October 1881 to August 1882, when he once again resumed practice at Miss Gordon's. In the meantime, in August 1881 Emery's wife advertised that she had 'returned from Sydney' and was resuming tuition. She was a talented singer and a 'teacher of scientific voice production'. It appears that Emery and Louie Gould continued to live separately.

Emery died at Wollongong on 18 July 1883. He was only 34 years of age. He died without a Will, but Louie successfully applied for probate. According to the documentation, the net value of his real and personal estate was 43 pounds one shilling and 6 pence - the total of the worth of his books which had been listed in the probate records.