Distinguished Scientist, Teacher and Vaccine Developer
"Dr. Peter J. Moloney earned an MA in Chemistry from the University of Toronto, was engaged in the Food Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture in Ottawa and in 1919, was appointed research chemist in the Connaught Laboratories. His first studies were of diphtheria toxin and after receiving his PhD in 1921, began work on the purification of insulin for its clinical use. Dr. Moloney was given the responsibility of preparing the diphtheria toxoid for Connaught Laboratories in 1924, making is early use possible in Canada. He was Assistant Director of Connaught until 1955 and contributed to the development of the so-called "reaction test" for diphtheria toxoid.
In studies with tetanus toxoid, he developed methods for its assay and purification and elucidated its antigenic constituents. Dr. Moloney was also one of a team that successfully devised methods for the preparation of penicillin during World War II—an urgent and complex challenge. Similarly, the call for a potent polyvalent gas gangrene antiserum was successfully met through the work of his colleagues and his own studies and at the close of the war, Dr. Moloney was honoured with the Order of the British Empire.
In 1931 he was appointed head of a newly established Chemistry in Relation to Hygiene department of the School of Hygiene, which provided courses of instruction for postgraduate students and for PhD candidates. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1935 and was a member of the American Chemical Society, the Bio-chemical Societies of Canada and Great Britain and the Canadian Physiological Society. It is for his sterling character and his kindness that his students and friends across Canada speak of his name with gratitude. Dr. Peter J. Moloney was awarded CPHA's Honorary Life Membership in 1962."
(Canadian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 53, June 1962).
Link: http://cpha100.ca/history/profiles-public-health/moloney
An assistant at CJPH said that the information in the profile was usually provided by the recipient, i. e. Dr. Moloney. The editor of the journal in 1962 was Dr. De Fries who knew Dr. Moloney, he had 2 assistant editors and another assistant, so it is difficult to believe they would publish a mistaken date of 1921.
The U of T Oral History transcript contains statements by Dr. Moloney about 1921 and 1922 events. The original transcript with editing marks in pencil, red ink and green ink, differs from the published transcript available in archival locations.
- A footpath of questions compiled by Veronica Moloney, granddaughter of Dr. Peter Moloney.
