Letters from Dr. P. J. Moloney to Gaston Ramon, the great French scientist who discovered the vaccine for diphtheria, have been added. These three letters illustrate their collaboration and friendship.
As a man of faith, Dr. Peter Moloney prayed often. He was known to pray the Hail Mary in English, Latin, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Gaelic, and Arabic.
Perhaps some people might think that Peter Moloney's faith must have been shaken by science. Did he believe in evolution? He knew a great deal of what is said about evolution, but he also knew that the theories have not been proven. And real science demands proof. In Why I am a Catholic, Moloney wrote: "Evolution is full of unproved theory, and this is admitted by those who are most knowledgeable, since the theory is constantly being changed."
Peter Moloney was the first chemist who was also a graduate of St. Michael's College, U of T. After being only a short time at Cutter Laboratory, Berkeley, Moloney decided to take the offer of a job at Ottawa, with the Government at the Experimental Farms. He went there in August 1916.
Peter Joseph Moloney wrote his memoirs, Some Memories of Old Powassan, when he was over 90 years of age. He began: "I was born in Penetanguishene in 1891 in the month of June. Two years later we moved to Powassan where my father had bought a hotel. As a small boy I was glad we had come to Powassan because it seemed to me obvious that Powassan was the centre of the world, since the sky came down evenly all around, and our house was in the dead centre."
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