LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL

CHAPTER V
MEDICAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (1877-1882)
MOTHER’S OPPOSITION TO HIGHER EDUCATION

 After graduating with the highest honors from the Ateneo, Rizal had to go to the University of
Santo Tomas for higher studies. The Bachelor of Arts course during the Spanish times was
equivalent only to the high school and junior college courses today. It merely qualified its
graduate to a university. Don Francisco and Paciano wanted Jose to pursue higher learning
in the university, but Dona Teodora, who knew what happened to Gom-Bur-Za, vigorously
opposed the idea and 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 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?
JOSE RIZAL ENTERS THE UNIVERSITY

 In April 1877, Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, enrolled in the University of Santo
Tomas (UST), taking the course on Philosophy and Letters.
 He enrolled in this course for two reasons:
1. His father like it and
2. He was “still uncertain to what career to pursue”.
RIZAL FINISHES SURVEYING COURSE IN ATENEO

 While studying at the UST, he also took up vocational course in Surveying in Ateneo and
excelled in all subjects. At the age of 17 years old, he passed the final examination in
surveying course, but he could not be granted the title as surveyor because he was below
age. The title was issued to him on November 25, 1881.
RIZAL AS A STUDENT OF MEDICINE

 When Jose visited Calamba again for Christmas in 1878, Doña Teodora's eyesight was so
poor that she hardly recognized Jose. No diagnosis could now be made because there was no
ophthalmologist in Calamba or the nearby towns. Later, it was discovered that the
disturbance was caused by a cataract, though it was difficult to determine what kind of
cataract it was. Rizal feared she would become blind. He changed the focus of his study as a
result of this situation. In addition to giving him the chance to heal his mother's condition,
he believed that medicine was a noble career that would allow him to help his fellow citizens.
He registered at the College of Medicine at the UST at the beginning of the academic year in
1878–1879, which went against some of his natural tendencies. But this did not become the
driving force behind his intense study. He maintained contact with the Jesuits at the same
time because they established a literary academy, which he presided over. He was so
versatile that he still found time to paint, sculpt, compose poetry, and engage in courtships
that were motivated by his natural tendency toward love.
FIRST LOVE

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  Jose Rizal fell in love for the first time while studying medicine at the UST. During his life,
Rizal experienced several loves because, although being extremely cautious and righteous
both and specifically because he was mindful of the potential repercussions of his actions, he
was particularly vulnerable to this emotion. He never put his feelings ahead of his studies; he
always got his work done first.

Segunda Katigbak

-Jose Rizal used to visit his grandma on Sundays in Trozo, Manila, along with a friend. He
once ran into a 14-year-old girl named Segunda Katigbak, who turned out to be his friend's
sister. However, it turned out that she was already engaged when he fell in love with her.
Later, he discovered that Segunda attended the same university where his sister had
boarded. Together, the two friends went to visit their sisters, who they later become friends
with.

-Rizal attempted to avoid her because she was engaged to Manuel Luz, but he was captivated
by Segunda's grace.

-She was sketched in pencil by Rizal. She then stitched a rose into the band of his hat. She
broke up with her fiancé and continued seeing him under extremely appropriate
circumstances as the affair developed without any pressure from Jose. The two had one final
encounter before the holiday break that year, but Jose opted not to propose. They agreed to
reunite when Segunda reached Calamba, but they left separately over the course of the
following two days. But he did nothing but lift his hat as her coach passed through the town.
She responded with a smile waving her handkerchief, but the timid Rizal did not approach
her. Because of this, indecision and timidity characterized his conduct all his life.
LEONOR RIVERA

 During the year 1879, the gallant lover Rizal visited many ladies in Manila society without
seriously committing himself to anyone. He liked good conversation and because of his
culture and intelligence, his language was colorful and poetic, sometimes spiced with irony.
But he never entered any significant, binding compromises.
One afternoon he went to visit his uncle Antonio Rivera, who had a boarding house in
Manila. He was accompanied by Paciano, his inseparable brother. It was decided that he
would stay in the house as a boarder. There he met his cousin, Leonor, daughter of Antonio,
a young girl of 13, typical of oriental girls. She had very fair skin and light brown hair, a very
pleasing voice and could carry an interesting conversation. Antonio, in his double role of
uncle and possible father-in- law of Jose, played an important part when he favored in 1882
the departure of his nephew for Europe.

A POET IS BORN TO THE PEOPLE

 In the year 1879, the Liceo Artistico-literario (Artistic-Literacy Lyceum) of Manila, a society of
literary men and artists, held a literary contests. It offered a prize for the best poem by a
native or a meztizo. Rizal, who was then 18 years old, submitted his poem entitled A La
Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth). The board of judges, composed of Spaniards, was
impressed by Rizal's poem and gave it the first prize which consist of a silver pen, feather-
shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon.
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  This winning poem of Rizal is a classic in Philippines literature for two reasons:
1. It was the first great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was recognized
by Spanish literary authorities.
2. It expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos, and not the
foreigners, were the “fair hope of the Fatherland".
 The following year (1880) the Artistic-Literacy Lyceum opened another literary contest to
commemorate the 400th year death anniversary of Spain's glorified man-of-letters and famous
author of Don Quixote, Miguel Cervantes. The contest this time was opened for both Filipinos
and Spaniards.
 Many writers participated in the contest- priests, newspaper men, scholars and professors.
Rizal who was inspired by his poetical triumph the previous year, entered the literary joust,
submitting an allegorical drama entitled El Consejo de Los Dioses (The council of gods). The
judges of the contest were all Spaniards. 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 winning allegory of Rizal was a literary masterpiece based on the Greek classics. In
writing it, Rizal, although a student of the University of Santo Tomas, was aided by the kind
Father Rector of Ateneo in securing the needed reference materials. The allegory established
a parallel among Homer, Vigil, and Cervantes. The gods discuss the comparative merits of
these great writers and finally decide to give the trumpet to Homer, the Lyre to Vigil, and a
naiads to Cervantes. The allegory gloriously closes with the naiads, nymphs, satyrs, and
other mythological characters dancing and gathering laurels for Cervantes.

UNHAPPY DAYS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (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.
3. The method of instruction was obsolete and repressive.
 In his novel, 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 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 we're "all excellent", they were not impressive in the four years of his
medical course.
DECISION TO STUDY ABROAD

 After finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal decided to study in Spain. He
could no longer endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination, and hostility in the University of
Santo Tomas. His older brother readily approved his going to Spain and so did his two sisters
Saturnina (Neneng) and Lucia, Uncle Antonio Rivera, the Valenzuela family, and some
friends.

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  For the first time, Rizal did not seek his parent's 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. This Rizal's
parents, Leonor, and the Spanish authorities knew nothing of his decision to go abroad in
order to finish his medical studies in Spain, where the professors were more liberal than
those of the University of Santo Tomas.
1. The best possible reasons why Rizal left for abroad was that his family had the means to
send him abroad to continue his education since having a foreign education especially
obtained in Europe was prestigious and a status symbol.
2. The second reason was Europe was seen as the center of scientific and educational
advancement at that time and Rizal went to Europe to train at the guidance of experts and to
acquire valuable knowledge. Universities in Europe may provide the needed training in
curing his mother’s eye disease.
GROUP 5:

1. Gon-ed, Arjay L.
2. Songduan, Nevin Jay D.
3. Immatong, Angelica
4. Bayninan,Gracelle Faith

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