Alexander McDonald (or M'Donald; 15 September 1817 – c. 1848) was a Scottish physician who served as assistant surgeon of HMS Terror on Franklin's lost expedition.

[4] In 1839, Penny brought an Inuk traveler, Eenoolooapik, back with him to Scotland, and McDonald was introduced to the man and served both as his tutor and as his doctor when he contracted a respiratory infection.

[6] In 1841, McDonald published a biography of Eenoolooapik which recounted the events of their voyage, A narrative of some passages in the history of Eenoolooapik, a young Esquimaux, who was brought to Britain in 1839, in the ship "Neptune" of Aberdeen: an account of the discovery of Hogarth's Sound: remarks on the northern whale fishery, and suggestions for its improvement, &c. &c.[7] After the publication of his book, McDonald applied to serve in the Royal Navy and was accepted as an assistant surgeon.

[14][15] During his 1854 expedition, John Rae received a fork with McDonald's initials from the Inuit at Naujaat, who reported that it was found at a campsite northwest of the mouth of Back River.

[18][19] In May 1869, Charles Francis Hall interviewed an Inuk woman named Ow-wer who told him a story of a meeting between Inuit and Franklin Expedition survivors at a place called Teekeenu.