As the Philippines celebrates the 160th birth anniversary of its national hero Jose Rizal, there is no better way to mark the day than to learn several interesting facts about him.
Through the use of pen and paper, he fought for the country’s independence.that led the Philippines to where it is today.
Here are some facts about Dr. Jose Rizal:
- He wrote 2 plays
Aside from his known works such as Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, Mi Ultimo Adios, and many more, he also wrote El Consejo de los Dioses (The Council of the Gods) in 1879 and Junto Al Pasig (Beside the Pasig) which was staged by the Academy of Spanish Literature members in 1880.
The Council of the Gods is an allegorical play while Beside the Pasig is a one-act zarzuela.
- “Makamisa”
“Makamisa” is Rizal’s unfinished literary work. It is said to be his third novel. However, only one chapter with 10 pages titled “Makamisa” was drafted. The chapter was written in Tagalog.
- “Treatment and Cure of the Bewitched”
The Philippine national hero also wrote an extensive discourse about witchcraft while he was in Dapitan entitled “Treatment and Cure of the Bewitched.”
- He was a polyglot
Jose Rizal mastered 22 languages: Spanish, French, Latin, Greek, German, Portuguese, Italian, English, Dutch, and Japanese, Arabic, Swedish, Russian, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew and Sanskrit.
- 3 animal species named after him
Three animals which he collected when he was in exile in Dapital were later named after him — abogonia rizalie, a type of small beetle; Drago Rizalie, a species of dragonfly; and Racoforus Rizalie, a species of toad.
- He got good grades in college
Following his graduation with honors at the Ateneo Municipal in 1877, Rizal enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas for his preparatory course for Theology and Law where he got “Excellent” marks in his first subjects Metaphysics, Cosmology, Theodicy, and History of Philosophy.
He took his pre-medical course and first year in medicine from 1878 to 1879 with “Good” to “Excellent” grades. He studied medicine at UST until 1882, then later moved to Universidad Central de Madrid to continue his medical and philosophy education.
- He operated on his mother’s eye
When Rizal arrived in the Philippines in 1887, he successfully conducted an operation on his mother’s left eye. Prior to this, he trained in Paris under oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Louis de Wecker. The Philippine Philippine Journal of ophthalmology labels the national hero as a “real ophthalmologist.”
- He posed for Death of Cleopatra
Dr. Jose Rizal posed for some of Juan Luna’s paintings such as The Blood Compact and Death of Cleopatra. The latter won the silver medal in the 1881 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid. Several years later, the painter and his friends reenacted the photo with Dr. Rizal posing as an Egyptian scribe. – NG,AG-rir