Story of Dr.
José Protacio Rizal
Mercado y Alonso Realonda
GROUP 3
KYLE FLAVIANO
JOHN VINCENT LIZARDA
ANGELYN ALBAO
CHAPTER
MEDICAL STUDIES5AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO
TOMAS
(1877 – 1882)
Rizal’s tragic first romance, with its bitter disillusionment, did not adversely
affect his studies in the University of Santo Tomas. After finishing the first year
of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877–1882), he transferred to the
medical course. During the years of his medical studies in this university which
was administered by the Dominicans, rival educators of the Jesuits, he
remained loyal to Ateneo.
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 Spanish times was
equivalent only to the high school and junior college courses today. It merely
qualified its graduate to enter a university. Both Don Francisco and Paciano
wanted Jose to pursue higher learning in the university. But Dona Teodora, who
knew what happened to Gom-Bur-Za, virgorously opposed the idea and told her
husband: “Don’t send him to Manila again; he knows enough.
Rizal Enter the University, In April 1877, Rizal who was the nearly 16 years
old, matriculated in the University of Santo Tomas, taking the course on
Philosophy and Letters. He enrolled in this course for two reason; (1) his
father like it and (2) he was “still uncertain as to what career to pursue”. He
had written to Father Pablo Ramon, Rector of the Ateneo, who had been good
to him during his student days in that college, asking for advice on the choice
of a career. But the Father Rector was then in the Mindanao so that he was
unable to advise Rizal.
Finishes Surveying Course in Ateneo (1878-79). During his first school
term in the University of Santo Tomas. Rizal also studied in the Ateneo. He
took the vocational courses leading to the tittle of perito agrimensor(expert
surveyor).
JOSE RIZAL: LIFE WORKS AND WRITTINGS
more because of his loyalty to the Ateneo, where he had so
many beautiful imemories and whose Jesuit professor, unlike
the Dominicans, loved him and inspired him to ascend to
greater height of knowledge. He continued to participate
actively in the Ateneo’s extra-curricular activities. He was
president of the Academy of Spanish Literature and secretary
of the Academy of Natural Science. He also continued his
membership in the Marian Congregation, of which he was the
secretary.
Victim of Spanish Officer’s Brutality. When Rizal was
a freshman medical student at the University of Santo
Tomas, he experienced his first taste of Spanish brutality.
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 to
be a licutenant of the Guardia Civil.
“To the Filipino Youth” (1879). In the year 1879 the liceo
Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of Manila, a society
of literary men and artists, held a literary content. It offered a
prize for the best poem by a native or mestizo. Rizal, who was
then eighteen years old, submitted his poem entitled A La
juveniud Filipina. (To the Filipino Youth)
