In episode 11, Season 5, of the Fox TV show "House M.D.", Wilson presents House with Joseph Bell's "Manual Of the Operations of Surgery" as a Christmas gift. The character of House is based on Holmes, who, as noted, was based in turn on Bell. When House's staff begin to wonder what dark meaning to put to House throwing away the expensive Christmas gift of the book, an amused Wilson begins making up a story about House having a closeted infatuation with a patient named Irene Adler whom he will always consider to be "the one who got away".