He won a scholarship to attend the University of Melbourne where he lived in residence at Trinity College while he studied medicine, taking his MB in 1909, BS in 1910 and MD in 1913.
He enlisted with the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1914 while he was in England and was posted to the 4th (British) General Hospital at Versailles, France.
[2] Following the war McDonald worked in a number of English hospitals treating ex-servicemen suffering from post-war disorders.
[1][5] He lobbied to have lead paint removed from use in homes and backyards due to the poison risk it created for children.
McDonald served in New Guinea during World War II assisting with medical problems associated with tropical conditions.