Backgrounds of rural medical doctors were compared with those of osteopathic doctors, metropolitan medical doctors in general practice, and metropolitan doctors in specialties in order to establish factors contributing to the unbalanced distribution of physicians in society. Interview data were obtained from all physicians in a 20-county rural area and from a sample of physicians in a metropolitan center. Two major background factors were studied: (1) family occupational background and (2) location of physician at selected points in his life. All doctors, regardless of resident-type, tended to have fathers in upper-status occupations, with the exception that more metropolitan specialists were recruited from lower status occupational backgrounds than other resident-types. During their youth, rural medical and osteopathic doctors had predominantly rural backgrounds; metropolitan doctors came from urban areas. Low mobility existed among all physicians, with highest mobility among osteopathic doctors and lowest among metropolitan specialists. Rural physicians were more involved in community life than metropolitan doctors, and there was very little difference between community involvement of medical doctors and osteopathic doctors. Due to more hospitals and increased technology in rural areas, the rural and urban medical practices have begun to show greater similarities. (AN)