Where did the doctor learn his skill?

• A. He apprenticed with fishermen
• B. He studied medicine in London
• C. He learned from colonial physicians
• D. His old studies in alchemy and Indians

Answer: (D)

In Hawthorne’s portrayal, the doctor’s skill isn’t tied to official schooling or a formal medical path. He’s framed as someone who has learned through older, more arcane traditions—alchemy and knowledge from Indigenous medicine—rather than through a university or colonial medical system. This backstory helps explain why he seems marked by secrecy and a slightly uncanny expertise, setting him apart from other physicians and casting his methods as occult or unusual rather than mainstream.

That’s why the choice pointing to ancient, alchemical, and Indigenous sources fits best. The other options imply a conventional or external training—studying in London, apprenticing with fishermen, or learning from colonial physicians—that Hawthorne does not present for this character. The text instead emphasizes a lineage of old, esoteric knowledge, which is why this option aligns with his portrayal.