Chapter 5 Medical Studies at the University of Santo Tomas (1877-1882

Tragic first romance - with its bitter disillusionment, did not adversely affect his studies in the University
of Santo Tomas.
*After the finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877-78), he transferred to the
medical course.
*During the years of his medical studies in this university, he remained loyal to Ateneo, where he
continued to participate in extra-curricular activities and completed the vocation course in surveying.
UST – administered by Dominicans
Ateneo - administered by Jesuits
As a Thomasian - won more literary laurels, had other romances with pretty girls, and fought against
Spanish students who insulted the brown Filipino students.

Mother’s Opposition to Higher Education.

highest honors – graduated in ateneo as highest honors
University of Santo Tomas - Rizal had to go to for higher studies
Bachelor of Arts course – during Spanish times was equivalent only to the high school and junior college
courses today. It merely qualified its graduate to enter a university.
Don Francisco and Paciano – Both wanted Jose to pursue higher learning in the university
Dona Teodora - knew what happened to Gom-Bur-Za, vigoriously opposed the idea. Told her husband:
“Don’t send him to Manila again; he knows enough. If he gets to know more, the Spaniards will cut off his head.”
*Don Francisco kept quiet and told Paciano to accompany his younger brother to Manila, despite their
mother’s tears
*Jose Rizal himself was surprised why his mother, who was a woman of education and culture, should
object to his desire for a university education.
*Years later he wrote in his journal: “Did my mother perhaps have a foreboding of what would happen
to me? Does a mother’s heart really have a second sight?”

Rizal Enters the University.

April 1877 - Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the University of Santo Tomas,
taking the course on Philosophy and Letters.
Enrolled in this course for two reasons: (1) his father liked it and (2) he was “still uncertain as to what
career he pursues”.
Father Pablo Ramon - Rector of the Ateneo, had been good to him during his student days in that
college. Rector is like head of the university
*Rizal had written to Fr. Pablo asking for advice on the choice of a career But the he was then in
Mindanao so that he was unable to advise Rizal.
1877-78 – 1st year term in UST.
- Rizal studied Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy, and History of Philiosophy. CMTH
- Rizal also studied in the Ateneo. He took vocational course leading to the title of perito
agrimensor (expert surveyor).
- In those days, colleges for boys in Manila offered vocational courses in agriculture,
commerce, mechanics, and surveying. SCAM
nd
1878-79 – 2 term, received the Ateneo Rector’s advice to study medicine, took up the medical course,
enrolling simultaneously in the preparatory medical course and the regular first year medical course
*Another reason why he chose medicine for a career was to be able to cure his mother’s growing blindness
Finishes Surveying Course in Ateneo (1878).
1878 - Finishes Surveying Course in Ateneo
Rizal - excelled in all subjects in the surveying course, obtaining gold medals in agriculture and
topography.
Age of 17 - He passed the final examination in the surveying course, but he could not be granted the
title as surveyor because he was below age.
November 25, 1881 - The title (surveyor) was issued to him (20 yrs old ata)
loyalty to the Ateneo - Although Rizal was then a Thomasian, he frequently visited the Ateneo. It was
due not only to his surveying course, but more because of his loyalty to the Ateneo, where he had so
many beautiful memories and whose Jesuit professors, unlike the Dominicans, loved him and inspired
him to ascend to greater heights of knowledge.
Extra-curricular activities - He continued to participate actively in the Ateneo’s extra-curricular activities
President - Academy of Spanish Literature
Secretary of the Academy of Natural Sciences
*He also continued his membership in the Marian Congregation, of which he was the secretary

Romances with Other Girls.

*Notwithstanding his academic studies in the University of Santo Tomas and extra-curricular activities in
the Ateneo, Rizal had ample time for love. He was a romantic dreamer who liked to sip the “nectar of
love”.
Sad experience with his first love - Had made him wiser in the ways of romance
*Shortly after losing Segunda Katigbak, he paid court to a young woman in Calamba. In his student
memoirs, he called her simply, “Miss L,” describing her as “fair with seductive and attractive eyes”.
*After visiting her in her house several times, she suddenly stopped his wooing, and the romance died a
natural death
Miss L - her identity is lost to history since Rizal himself did not give her name
*He gave name two reasons for his change of heart, namely: (1) the sweet memory of Segunda was still
fresh in his heart and (2) his father did not like the family of “Miss L”.
Several months later (sophomore year at UST) - he boarded in the house of Dona Concha Leyva in
Intramuros.
Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela - next door neighbors of Dona Concha from Pagsanjan,
Laguna, who had a charming daughter named Leonor.
Rizal - medical student from Calamba, was a welcome visitor in the Valenzuela home, where he was the
life of the social parties because of his clever sleight-of-hand tricks
Leonor Valenzuela – courted by Rizal, who was a tall girl with a regal bearing. He sent her love notes
written in invisible ink
Ink - consisted of common table salt and water. It left no trace on the paper.
Rizal - who knew his chemistry, taught Orang the secret of reading any note written in the invisible ink
by heating it over a candle or lamp so that the word may appear. But, as with Segunda, he stopped
short of proposing marriage to Orang.’
Orang - pet name of Leonor Valenzuela
Leonor Rivera - Rizal’s next romance, his cousin.
- A student at La Concordia College, where Soledad (Rizal’s younger sister) was then studying.
- born in Camiling, Tarlac, on April 11, 1867
- was a frail, pretty girl “tender as a budding flower with kindly, wistful eyes”.
 - Jose and Leonor sprang a beautiful romance. They became engaged
1879 - start of his junior year at the university, he lived in “Casa Tomasina,” at No. 6 Calle Santo Tomas,
Intramuros.
Antonio Rivera - landlord-uncle. He had a pretty daughter Leonor.
*In her letters to Rizal, Leonor signed her name as “Taimis,” in order to camouflage their intimate
relationship from their parents and friends.
Taimis - the code name given by Rizal to Leonor in order for them to exchange letters because Leonor's
mother disapproved their relationship

Victim of Spanish Officer’s Brutality

Rizal - freshman medical student at the University of Santo Tomas
- He experienced his first taste of Spanish brutality.
Summer Vacation, 1878 - One dark night in Calamba, during the summer vacation in 1878, he was
walking in the street.
*He dimly perceived the figure of a man while passing him. Not knowing the person due to darkness, he
did not salute nor say a courteous ‘Good Evening”. The vague figure turned out be a lieutenant of the
Guardia Civil. With a snarl, he turned upon Rizal, whipped out his word and brutality slashed the latter
on the back.
Wound - not serious, but it was painful.
*When recovered, Rizal reported the incident to General Primo de Rivera. But nothing came out of his
complaint, because he was an Indio and the abusive lieutenant was a Spaniard.
General Primo de Rivera - Spanish governor general of the Philippines at that time
March 21, 1887 - letter to Blumentritt, he related: “I went to the Captain-General but I could not obtain
justice; my wound lasted two weeks”.

“To the Filipino Youth” (1879).

1879 – the Liceo Artistico-Literario held a literary contest
- It offered a prize for the poem by a native or a mestizo, Rizal, who was then eighteen years
old, submitted his poem entitled A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth).
Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic Literary Lyceum) of Manila - a society of literary men and artists
Board of Judges - composed of Spaniards, was impressed by Rizal’s poem and gave it the first prize
which consisted of a silver pen, feather-shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon
*Young Rizal was happy to win the poetry contest. He was sincerely congratulated by the Jesuits,
especially his former professors at the Ateneo, and by his friends and relatives.
La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth) - prize-winning poem, an inspiring poem of flawless form
- In exquisite verses, Rizal beseeched the Filipino youth to rise from lethargy, to let their
genius fly swifter than the wind and descend with art and science to break the chains that
have long bound the spirit of the people
- This winning poem of Rizal is a classic in Philippine literature for two reasons: First, it was
the first great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was recognized by Spanish
literary authorities. Secondly, it expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that
the Filipinos, and not the foreigners, were the “fair hope of the Fatherland”.

“The Council of the Gods” (1880).

1880 - the Artistic-Literary Lyceum opened another literacy contest to commemorate the fourth
centennial of the death of Cervantes.This time the contest was opened to both Filipinos and Spaniards.
Cervantes - Spain’s glorified man-of-letters and famous author of Don Quixote (novel)
*Many writers participated in the contest –priest, newspapermen, scholars and professors.
*Rizal, inspired by his poetical triumph the previous year, entered the literary joust
El Consejo de los Dioses (The Council of the Gods) - allegorical drama
Spaniards - judges of the contest
*After a long and critical appraisal of the entries, they awarded the first prize to Rizal’s work because of
its literary superiority over the others.
*The Spanish community in Manila, spear-headed by the Spanish press, howled in great indignation
against the decision because the winning author was an Indio.
Gold ring on which was engraved the bust of Cervantes - prize was awarded to Rizal despite all objections
D.N. del Puzo - Spanish writer won the second prize
*For the first time in history, an Indio –a nineteen-year old Filipino medical student at that –excelled in
a national literary contest, defeating several Spanish writers of his time in Manila.
Rizal - particularly happy, for he proved the fallacy of the alleged Spanish superiority over the Filipinos
and revealed that the Filipino could hold his own in fair competition against all races.
The winning allegory of Rizal - a literary masterpiece based on the Greek classics.
*In wring it, Rizal, although a student of the University of Santo Tomas was aided by the kind Father
Rector of the Ateneo in securing the needed reference materials.
Allegory - established a parallel among Homer, Virgil, and Cervantes. The gods discuss the comparative
merits of these great writers and finally decide to give the trumpet to Homer, the lyre to Virgil, and
laurel to Cervantes. The allegory gloriously closes with the naiads, nymphs, satyrs, and other
mythological characters dancing and gathering laurels for Cervantes
Trumpet – Home ; Lyre – Virgil ; Laurel - Cervantes
Other Literary Works.
Rizal - although studying medicine, produced other poems and a zarzuela
Junto al Pasig (Beside the Pasig) - this zarzuela was staged by the Ateneans on December 8, 1880, on
the occasion of the annual celebration of the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of
the Ateneo. He wrote it as President of the Academy of Spanish Literature in the Ateneo.
*As a piece of literature Junto al Pasig is mediocre. But there are passages in it which express in subtle
satire the author’s nationalist ideas. For instance, Rizal makes Satan say that the Philippines –
“Now without comfort,
Sandly groans in the power of a foreign people,
And slowly dies
In the impious clutch of Spain.”
1880 - wrote a sonnet entitled A Filipinas for the album of the Society of Sculptors. In this sonnet, he
urged all Filipino artists to glorify the Philippines
Night of December 8, 1879 - composed a poem entitled Abd-Azis y Mahoma, which was declaimed by
an atenean, Manuel Fernandez in honor of the Ateneo’s Patroness.
1881 - composed a poem entitled Al M.R.P. Pablo Ramon. He wrote this poem as an expression of
affection to Father Pablo Ramon, the Ateneo rector, who had been so kind and helpful to him.

Rizal’s Visit to Pakil and Pagsanjan.

Summer month of May, 1881 - when he was still a medical student at the University of Santo Tomas,
Rizal went on a pilgrimage to the town of Pakil, famous shrine of the Birhen Maria de los Dolores. He
was accompanied by his sisters – Saturnina, Maria, and Trinidad and their female friends.
Town of Pakil - famous shrine of the Birhen Maria de los Dolores.
Casco (flat-bottom sailing vessel) – took this from Calamba to Pakil, Laguna
*stayed at the home of Mrs. And Mr. Manuel Regalado, whose son Nicolas was Rizal’s friend in Manila
*Rizal and his companions were fascinated by the famous turumba, the people dancing in the streets
during the procession in honor of the miraculous Birhen Maria de los Dolores. As they danced, the
dancers sang:
Turumba, Turumba, Mariangga
Matuwa tayo’t Masaya
Sumayaw ng turumba
Puri sa Birhen Maria
Ybardolaza - In Pakil, Rizal was infatuated by a pretty girl colegiala who skillfully played the harp at the
Regaldo home
*Rizal and his party made a side trip to the neighboring town of Pagsanjan for two reasons – (1) it was
native town Leonor Valenzuela, one of Rizal’s girl friends in Manila, and (2) to see the world famed
Pagsanjan Falls
*Year later Rizal mentioned the Turumba in Chapter VI of Noli Me Tangere and Pagsanjan Falls in his
travel diary (United States –Saturday, May 12, 1888, where he said that Niagara Falls was the “greatest
cascades I ever saw” but “not so beautiful nor fine as the falls at Los Banos, (sic) Pagsanjan”

Champion of Filipino Students.

Rizal - champion of the Filipino students in their frequent fights against the arrogant Spanish students,
who were often surpassed by the Filipinos in class work and who insultingly called their brown
classmates –“Indio, chongco!” In relation, the Filipino students called them “Kastila, bangus!” Hostility
between these two groups of students often exploded in angry street rumbles.
- participated in these student brawls. Owing to his skill in fencing, his prowess in wrestling,
and his indomitable courage, he distinguished himself in these students’ skirmishes.
1880 - he founded a secret society of Filipino students in the University of Santo Tomas called
Companerismo (Comradeship), whose members were called “Companions of Jehu,” after the valiant
Hebrew general who fought the Armeans and ruled the Kingdom of Israel for 28 years (843-816 B.C.).
*He was the chief of this secret student society, with his cousin from Batangas, Galicano Apacible, as
secretary. As chief, he led the Filipino students into combat against the Spanish students in various
street fights.
*In one of the fierce encounters between the Filipino students and their pale-skinned detractors near
the Escolta in Manila, Rizal was wounded on the head. His friends brought him bleeding and covered
with dust to his boarding house, “Casa Tomasina”. Leonor Rivera tenderly washed and dressed his
wound

Unhappy Days at the UST.

Rizal - Ateneo’s boy wonder, found the atmosphere at the University of Santo Tomas suffocating to his
sensitive spirit.
*He was unhappy at this Dominican institution of higher learning because (1) the Dominican professors
were hostile to him, (2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards, and
(3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive.

El Filibusterismo - he described how the Filipino students were humiliated and insulted by their
Dominican professors and how backward the method of instruction was, especially in the teaching of
the natural sciences. He related in Chapter XIII, “The Class in Physics,” that his science subject was
taught without laboratory experiments. The microscope and other laboratory apparatuses were kept
inside the showcases to be seen by visitors, but the students could not even touch them.
*Because of the unfriendly attitude of his professors, Rizal, the most brilliant graduate of the Ateneo,
failed to win high scholastic honors.
*Although his grades in the first year of the philosophy course were all “excellent,” they were not
impressive in the four years of his medical course. His scholastic records in the University of San Tomas
(1879-1882) were as follows:

1877-78 (Philosophy & Letters) 1878-1879 (Medicine) –1st Year

Cosmology & Metaphysics . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Theodicy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
History of Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
1879-1880 (Medicine) –2nd year
Anatomy 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
Dissection 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
Physiology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
Private Hygiene . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
Public Hygiene . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fair
Chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Natural History . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
Anatomy I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
Dissection I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good
1880-1881 (Medicine) –3rd Year
General Pathology . . . . . . . . . . . . Fair
Therapeutics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Excellent
Surgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Good

1881-1882 (Medicine) –4th Year

Medical Pathology . . . . . . . . . . . . Very Good
Surgical Pathology . . . . . . . . . . . . Very Good
Obstetrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Very Good
Decision to Study Abroad.
*After finishing the fourth year of his medal course, Rizal decided to study in Spain. He could no longer
endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination, and hostility in the University of Santo Tomas.
*Older brother his two sisters Saturnina (Neneng) and Lucia, Uncle Antonio Rivera, the Valenzuela
family, and some friends - readily approved his going to Spain
Rizal - For the first time, did not seek his parents’ permission and blessings to go abroad, because he
knew that they, especially his mother, would disapprove it.
*He did not bring his beloved Leonor into his confidence either.
*He had enough common sense to know that Leonor, being a woman, young and romantic at that, could
not keep a secret.
Rizal’s parents, Leonor, and the Spanish authorities - knew nothing of his decision to go abroad in order
to finish hid medical studies in Spain, were the professors were more liberal those of the University of
Santo Tomas.