Jose P. Rizal was a man of many talents and interests. For a man who lived only 35 years, his achievements are remarkable and numerous. The Rizal Centennial Commission listed 278 written works of Rizal, including his two major novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
Although Rizal is well-known for his literary prowess, perhaps his accomplishments as a scientist are not well publicized. At this age where science and technology play a major role in economic development, his scientific achievements are relevant and inspiring. To talk about Rizal as a scientist, it is difficult to separate Rizal the natural scientist (one who practiced the natural sciences) from Rizal the social scientist and political reformer because he believed that knowledge should be used for enlightenment and liberation and not for oppression. In his choice of medicine as a career and during his education in Europe, he never lost sight of his goal: to serve his people and liberate them from years of oppression and injustice by the Spaniards.
Here are some highlights of Rizal’s scientific accomplishments:
After five years in Europe, he went home to the Philippines in 1887. He operated on his mother’s eyes to remove her cataracts – the surgery was successful and was the first of its kind ever done in the Philippines. His fame as an eye doctor spread quickly and people began coming to him for treatment from all over the Philippines and even from as far away as China. He opened a clinic, sent away for equipment, charged moderate fees and treated the poor free.
He established a large and well-known medical practice where his patients came from all over the Philippines and from Hong Kong and other Asian cities.
He built a hospital.
He built a small house for himself and a large one for his family and visiting friends.
He bought lands and practiced scientific farming.
He set up a water supply system based on gravity.
He set up and taught a school for local children.
He paid for the first street lighting system.
He beautified the town plaza and made a giant relief map of the Philippines which is still preserved today.
He obtained from Kalamba an improved type of fishing net that helped the Dapitan fishermen improve their catch.
He imported farm machinery from the US for himself and local farmers.
He subscribed to the magazine Scientific American and ordered medicines and pharmaceuticals from the US.
He collaborated with foremost scientists from Europe at that time. With his students, he collected specimens of plants, animals and ethnographic materials from Mindanao and sent them to his colleagues in Europe.
Some of the animal specimens were rare and named after him: A new species of frog named Rhacophorus rizali, a new species of beetle named Apogonia rizali, and a new species of lizard named Draconi rizali.
Finally, Rizal shared with us his philosophy and thinking about education and science. Within the limits of the circumstances in Dapitan, Rizal gave his students the key elements of his educational goals: academic knowledge, industrial training, ethical instruction, and physical development. He believed that moral values were as important as knowledge itself; indeed, they were the only assurance that knowledge will be used to help and enlighten, rather than oppress men.
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