South Bend news-times., 1921-05-18
SAYS BACON KNEW
OF The TELESCOPE
IN 18TH CENTURY
Exposures Made Before Sur
geons and Physicians
by Scientists.

PHILADELPHIA. May 1.-THE
first public explanation OF the KEY
discovered 20 the cipher code used
by Roger Bacon. the thirteenth cen
tury phiIosoph which was
revealed that Bacon knew Of the
telescope. microscope and scientific
facts hitherto supposed % have been
unknown until centuries after his
dea-h was made here recently be-
fore the college Of physicians and
surgeons
Addresses were made by Wilfr.d
n. V0yuich Of London and New
York. owner OF the Roger Bacon
manuscript in which the key 20 the
code was found; Prof. Romaine
Nowbo-d Of The University Of Penn
syiFauia who is working on the ci-
pher and Prof O.. T.. McClug. also
of The University Of pennsylvania.
who s assisting Prof. Newbold
AT present 70 is only possible L.
conjecture at the extent and impOr-
tance ~ the discoveries. said Prof
Eewbo.d. for the art OF reading the
cipher yet in its earliest stages
and 90 is not certain that the whole
manuscript can be read, but a study
of the drawings alone proves their
Importance.
"The manuscript fails IN four d.
visions" Prof. Newbold continued.
dealing. respectively, with plants
The heavenly bodies. the generation
or animal life and the PREPARATION OF
drugs The common link connecting
all four IS probably BacOu'S Interest
in the prol0nsation Of human life.
Plants are discussed because of thei-
medicinal properties. the stars be-
cause they determine a mans char
acter at his birth and influence him
throughout life; embryoiogy because
OF the bearing upon later life of all
factors influencing conception. and
pharmacClogy because drugs are es-
senti3I 90 the cure Of disease. The
evidence OF certain discoveries is
found in the drawings of the second
and third sections.
"A drawing Is the second section.
the late Prof Eric Doolittle assert
ed. was "a drawing Of nebula, and
ne declared the man who drew 1t
must have had a telescope as hs
correctly depicted features Invisible
to the naked eye. The legend at
tached 20 this picture says the OBJ
jcct was seen i'm concave mirror,
and gives it's location in the sky
Tae location is that OF the great
nebull Audromeda.
"This is the first record Of the uss
OF the telescope.
tains 81 drawings AS rule they
are symbolic. for Bacon was unwii-
ling TO draw objects recognizable by |
the casual observer.
"But there are drawings which so
accurately portray the actual ap-
pearance of certain objects that il is /
difficult 10 resist the inference that
Bacon had seen them with his NIL
croscope Ir IS possible that the /
next rerusal of the text may reveal /
unexpected meanpgs i'm the pic /
cures. but at present the interpreta- F.
uon I have put or them, seems OBJ |
vious Such are the spermatozoa, |
the body cells and the simeriferou5 /
tubes. the ova. with their nuclei /
distinctly indicated
"The snermatozOa were not again /
seen after Bacon until they were /
rediscovered by Hamm and Leu /
wonhook. Tt seems impossible 10 I
doubt that Bacon was the first - /
discover these important structures. I
1.-THE symbolic significance of the /
drawings is as yet imperfectly un
derstood. 1t relates i'm large part go /
Bacou's belief that The soul lived .
i'm the stars before birth and re- /
turned to the stars after death. /
There are some drawing which pos .
sibly express symboHcauy the multi .
pIicaiou of cells by fusion and the /
fertilization of the ovum by union .
with the spcrmatozoa, but these in I
terprctati0rs are uncertain and are /
expressed with reserve
Bacon skctchcd with amazing .
ACCURACY the fundamental principles /
OF mathematical physics as we con- /
ceive it today. only less amazing .
IS his intuiive grasp of the princi- +
pies of phuoIogy and OF the textual T.
criticism. his diagnosis of needed F.
reforms in education of the neccs- /
sitv OF eudowinE research work. ~ .
his forecasts OF the development ot .
medicine i'm the direction Of hygiene /
and preventive medicine and Of the I.
application Of chemistry 90 physiOl- I
ogv. agriculture and industry.
"The drawings which accompany .
the Noynich manuscript prove that 4
the author possessed both the tele- /
scope and microscope or lenses or /
considerable power.
"That Bacon was the author Of .
the manuscript possessed by Mr.. /
Novnich is proved hy the fact that I
his name is written i'm cipher ON the .
last page The key 90 The cipher is .
also written on the last page. part /
BY i'm Roman, partly IN cipher char .
actcrs"
Mr. Voynich told Of his researches /
which lea 10 the discovery of the F
manuscript sayius he was COM
peuedto read the hiogr7phies OF sew +
eraI hundred persons TO find one /
which shed light upon g. This con f
cerned John Doe. who Shakespeare /
said chad volumes he priced more .
than his dukedom Doe IL app
pears came into possession OF the I
manuscript row owned by Nr. Noy- "
Mich.
NIr. VovrIeh pointed out that the
persons who were influenced bv
Roger Bacon through the medium Of .
John Doe was the English philoso-
pher. Sir Francis Bacon who is be-
iteved ty some persons Co have been
tho author of works attributed ger
.-. rrr +r -r. f-r-r.r~a