William Wilde, father of Oscar Wilde, made a significant contribution to ophthalmology and otology. Qualified as a surgeon. educated in statistics and showing sympathy for the Irish population, Wilde was appointed a Commissioner for the 1851 Census, which covered the time of the Irish Famine (1845–1852). Wilde, steeped in Irish mythology, used his knowledge to develop a close rapport with the Irish peasantry. However, his life was a paradox; he supported the British Government's approach to the Famine and at the same time he showed humanity to the Irish peasantry. In his personal life he was implicated in an abortive libel case involving a young female patient who had accused him of rape. Wilde lived as though he had two separate lives: on the one hand the successful surgeon, famine Commissioner and cataloguer of Irish antiquities, and the other a countryman and disciple of Irish mythology. Wilde was highly preceptive especially in his views on the recording of medical data and outcomes in clinical practice. We argue that Wilde was probably unmatched in the variety of his talents but was also perplexing in the various actions he took during his life and that indeed Wilde was an enigma.

奥斯卡·王尔德的父亲威廉·王尔德对眼科和耳科做出了重大贡献。拥有外科医生资格。王尔德受过统计学教育，对爱尔兰人民表现出同情心，他被任命为 1851 年人口普查专员，该普查涵盖了爱尔兰饥荒时期（1845-1852 年）。王尔德沉浸在爱尔兰神话中，利用他的知识与爱尔兰农民建立了密切的关系。然而，他的一生却是一个悖论。他支持英国政府应对饥荒的方法，同时他向爱尔兰农民展现了人性。在他的个人生活中，他卷入了一起未遂的诽谤案，该案涉及一名指控他强奸的年轻女病人。王尔德的生活就像拥有两种不同的生活：一方面是成功的外科医生、饥荒专员和爱尔兰古物编目员，另一方面是爱尔兰神话的乡下人和信徒。王尔德极具洞察力，尤其是他对临床实践中医疗数据和结果记录的看法。我们认为，王尔德的才华可能是无与伦比的，但他一生中所采取的各种行动也令人困惑，王尔德确实是一个谜。