The Social Cancer, original title Noli me tangere, novel by Filipino political activist and author José Rizal, published in 1887. The book, written in Spanish, is a sweeping and passionate unmasking of the brutality and corruption of Spanish rule in the Philippines (1565-1898). The story begins at a party to welcome Crisóstomo Ibarra back to the Philippines after seven years of studying in Europe. His father, Don Rafael, passed away shortly before his return, and Crisóstomo soon learns that he died in prison after accidentally killing a tax collector and being falsely accused of other crimes by Father Dámaso,