Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-22
DISCOVERS KEY
TO CIPHER CODE
USED BY BACON
Professors at Last Solve Some
Of the Mystery Enshroudmg
Work Of Great Philosopher

Philadelphia, Pa, April e1.--The first
public explanation of the key discov-
cred to the cipher code used by Roger
Bacon. the thirteenth century philo-
sopher- Monk, which has revealed
Bacon knew of the telescope micro
scope and scientific facts hitherto sup
posed to have been unknown until
centuries later was made last night
before the College of Physicians and
Surgeons.
Addresses were made by w NJ. voy-
Mich of London. owner of the Roger
Bacon manuscript in which the key
to the code was found: Professor Ro-
maine NewboId OF the University Of
Pennsylvania, who is working on the
,cipher, and Professor C.. T.. McClub.
who is assisting Professor Newbo'd.
At present it is only possible to
conjecture at the extent and import
ance of the discoveries. said Professor
Newbold. for the art of reading the
cipher is vet in it's early stages and
| it is not certain that the whole manu-
script can be read.
The manuscript falls in four divis-
IONS" he continued, dealing with
plants, the heavenly bodies. the sener-
alton of animal life and preparation OF
drugs The common link connecting
all four is probably Racon's interest
in the prolcngation of human life
Plants are discussed because of their
medicinal properties; the stars be-
cause they determine mans charsc-
ter at his birth and influence him
thruout life: emhryoloSy because of
| the bearing on later life of all factors
influencing conception and pharmaco-
| loEy because drugs arc essential to the
cure of disease.
| "A dra awing in the second section.
the late Professor Eric Dolittle, as
serted was a drawing of nebulae
and he declared the man who drew it
IA "a
| The legend attached to this picture
says the object was seen in a concave
| mirror, and gives its location in the
sky. The location is that of the great
nebula. Andromeda.
This is the first record of the use
of the telescope.
The embryolosical sections con-
tains thirty-one drawings. AS rule
they arc symbolic.
But there arc drawings which so
accurately portray the appearance of
certain objects that 1t is difficult to
resist the inference that Bacon had
seen them with his microscope. 1t is
possible that the deciphcrment of the
text may reveal unsuspectcd meanings
in the pictures, but the Interpretation
l have put on them seems obvious.
Such are tho spcrmatozos, the body
cells and the scminiferous tubes, the
ovs viii, .ae;r nuclei. Indicated.
| 1T seems impossible to doub. Bacon
was the first to discover these.
The symbolic significance of the
drawings relates in large part to
| Eacon's belief that the soul lived in
the stars before birth and returned
after death
| Bacon shstchcd with amazing ac-
curacy tho fundamental principles Of
ma thcmatical physics as We conceive
I 1, today. only less amazing in his
intuitivc grasp of tho principles of
phIoloEy of tho textual criticism; his
diagnosis of needed reforms in cduca-
ton. of tho necessity Of endowinE re-
search work of his forecasts OF the
development of medicine in the dircc-
ton OF hygiene and preventive msdi-
cine and OF tho Application of chemis-
! try 10 physiology. agriculture and in
dustry.''
Mr.. Noynich told Of his researches
which led to the discovery of the
manuscript. saying he was compelled
to read the biographies OF several
hundred persons TO find one which
shed any light upon 1t.