Peter Charles Molan (20 October 1943 – 16 September 2015) was a New Zealand biochemist, noted for his elucidation of the medicinal properties of

mānuka honey Mānuka honey () is a monofloral honey produced from the nectar of the mānuka tree, ''Leptospermum scoparium''. The mānuka tree is indigenous to New Zealand and some parts of coastal Australia, but is today produced globally. Used as a sugar s ...

Early life and family

Born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Wales, on 20 October 1943, Molan was the son of Vera Molan (née Boswell) and her husband Charles Molan. In 1963 Molan married Winifred Ruth Whitcomb in Cardiff. They migrated to New Zealand with their four children in 1973, and became naturalised New Zealanders in 1977. Ruth Molan died in 1991, and Molan later remarried.

Academic and research career

Molan studied at the University of Wales, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

with honours in biochemistry in 1965. He then undertook doctoral research at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, where he awarded a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in dental science in 1969. His thesis was entitled ''Respirometric studies of the metabolism occurring in saliva''. A lecturer in dental science at Liverpool from 1968 to 1973, he took up a lectureship at the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

in 1973, and established the first biochemistry course at that institution. He rose to the position of professor of biological sciences (2003), and was the director of the Honey Research Unit at Waikato from 1995 until 2013. He retired from the University of Waikato in 2014. In 1981 Molan began to investigate the antiseptic properties of mānuka honey. His research identified that mānuka honey has significant non-peroxide antimicrobial activity. He went on to establish a grading system, known as the "Molan Gold Standard", for the quality of mānuka honey, based on the honey's methylglyoxal content. He also investigated the use of honey as an aid to the healing of wounds. Over his career Molan wrote or co-wrote over 90 refereed scientific papers and seven book chapters, and gave over 60 conference presentations. He was co-editor of two books on the use of honey for wound management, was awarded several patents, and wrote numerous magazine and newspaper articles.

Awards and honours

In the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours, Molan was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to the honey industry. In 2001 he was awarded a New Zealand Science and Technology silver medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand, for "revolutionising the New Zealand honey industry and adding significantly to the value of their product." He was twice honoured at the KuDos Hamilton Science Excellence Awards, receiving the inaugural science entrepreneur award in 2007, and a lifetime achievement award in 2013.

Death

Molan died from cancer at his home in Hamilton on 16 September 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molan, Peter 1943 births 2015 deaths Scientists from Cardiff Alumni of the University of Wales Alumni of the University of Liverpool Academics of the University of Liverpool Welsh emigrants to New Zealand Academic staff of the University of Waikato New Zealand biochemists New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Deaths from cancer in New Zealand