He was a French physician and amateur naturalist with a strong interest in botany, particularly in mycology.

French-Canadian organist and composer Paul-Émile McCaughan (pseudonym Vincent Ferval) attended the Conservatoire national de musique in Montreal and studied under the renowned organist Georges-Émile Tanguay. He received his “license en musique avec distinction” and later a doctorate. He composed both popular songs and religious pieces in the 1930s and 1940s. He also was awarded a “license” in theology and became first a priest and then an abbé. For the popular waltzes and songs that he composed, he often used the pseudonym “Vincent Ferval.” He collaborated with such lyricists as Pierre Janquin and Alain Rivière for such songs as “La valse de muguet” and “La valse de souvenir” respectively. He also composed music to accompany the poetry of François Hertel (pseudonym of Quebec author, Rodolphe Dubé). In 1946 he wrote a book, “La philosophie de la musique.”