Edward Perceval Wright

Edward Percival (Perceval) Wright (27 December 1834, Donnybrook – 2 March 1910)FRGSI was an Irish ophthalmic surgeon, botanist and zoologist.

He was the eldest son of barrister, Edward Wright and Charlott Wright. Edward was educated by a private tutor, and was taught natural history by George James Allman. From 1852 he studied at Trinity College, Dublin, graduating BA in 1857. In that same year he became Curator of the University Museum at Trinity and, the following year, 1858, Lecturer in Zoology, a post which he held for ten years. At the same time he undertook medical studies and lectured in botany at the medical school of Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin gaining an M.A. (University of Dublin) in 1859 and an MA Ad eundem degree (University of Oxford). He graduated M.D in 1862.

Wright next studied ophthalmic surgery in Vienna, Paris and Berlin. In Berlin he was taught by Hermann Loew's pupil Albrecht von Gräfe. He practised this profession both before and after becoming Professor of Botany at Trinity College, Dublin, in 1869, a position he held until 1905, having previously assisted William Henry Harvey in this post. He was also appointed Curator of the herbarium.

In 1872 he married Emily Shaw, second daughter of Colonel Ponsonby Shaw. The couple had no children.

Wright was a keen traveller spending most vacations on the continent of Europe collecting natural history specimens and in 1867 he spent six months in the Seychelles making large collections of the fauna and flora. Some animals, for instance the Whale shark were studied in depth.

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