Rizal operated on the cataract of his mother

ABSTRACT

Rizals operations on his mother for cataract extraction were conceived in the love of a son for his mother, preceded by an and dedicated preparation in the best Eye Clinics of Europe and the tutorship of the greatest ophthalmic surgeons of the time; intertwined with the patriotic activities of the sublime Hero for his motherland they entailed prolonged but judicials waiting. They were performed under tying circumstances, in a foreign land and in exile in his own native country. It reflected the best in ophthalmological science and practice of the era, portrayed one of the most unique cataract extractions ever performed, that of an ophthalmic surgeon on his mother. Replete with human pathos, misinterpreted by historians, biographers and Rizalists, due to the paucity of authentic documents and conflicting versions, it was finally crowned with sufficient success that fulfilled the realization of one of the fondest dreams of our national Hero. (Summary)