MANILA, Philippines – The UST Faculty of Medicine & Surgery showcased the transcript of records of Dr. Jose Rizal, one of the country’s revered national heroes, during the commemoration of his death anniversary in 1896 at Bagumbayan (now Luneta or Rizal Park).
A photo of the said transcript of records was posted on the official Facebook page of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), where Rizal pursued his medical degree program.
 |
| Photo courtesy: UST (Facebook) |
"The national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, spent much of his medical preparation in the UST Faculty of Medicine & Surgery. The famed historian, Rev. fr. Fidel Villarroel, O.P., in his magnum opus 'A History of the University of Santo Tomas' devoted Chapter VI of Volume II to 'Jose Rizal as a Medical Student and an Alumnus,'" they said.
“After taking the pre-law course in 1877, 'he changed his mind—or his parents did—and opted for the career of medicine.' While several of Rizal’s classmates 'one by one fell by the roadside,' by the fourth year, only seven medical students of the year remained, and Rizal was one of them, ending that year in second place."
"From Rizal’s twenty-one subjects in UST, he received one 'passing grade,' eight 'good,' six 'very good,' and six 'excellent.'"
Based on the transcript and the grading system during the Spanish era, Dr. Jose Rizal's overall marks at UST ranged from "Sobresaliente" (Excellent), "Notable" (Very Good), "Bueno" (Good), "Aprobado" (Pass), to "Insuficiente" (Insufficient or Failed). The grade "Aprovechado" signified commendable performance but not necessarily top-tier.
In his preparatory courses in Theology and Law, Rizal earned consistent sobresaliente grades in subjects such as Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy, and History of Philosophy.
For his preparatory courses in Medicine, he achieved sobresaliente in Advanced Chemistry and aprovechado in Advanced Physics and Advanced Natural History.
During his First Year in Medicine (1878-1879), Rizal received bueno grades in General Anatomy and Histology I, Descriptive Anatomy I, and Exercises of Osteology and Dissection.
In his Second Year (1879-1880), he maintained bueno grades in General Anatomy and Histology II, Descriptive Anatomy II, Exercises of Dissection, and Physiology, Private and Public Hygiene.
In his Third Year (1880-1881), his marks became more varied: sobresaliente in Therapeutics, Medical Matter, and Art of Prescribing; bueno in Surgical Anatomy, Operations, External Medical Applications and Bandages; and aprobado in General Pathology, its Clinic, and Pathologic Histology.
By his Fourth Year (1881-1882), Rizal earned notable grades in Medical Pathology, Surgical Pathology, Obstetrics, Sickness of Women and Children, and Siphilography.
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express
