06-01-2026, 02:23 PM
My theory is that the Voynich manuscript is a personal handbook created by a physician for daily practical use. Until the text is fully read and deciphered, everything said in this field inevitably remains at the level of theory. However, based on the research I have conducted so far, I consider my theory to be internally consistent.
I believe that presenting my theory under a set of basic headings will make it easier to follow.
Content of the Manuscript
The Voynich manuscript consists of four main sections. The first section deals with medicinal plants. The second section contains principles and diagrams related to determining the appropriate timing of treatments according to the movements of celestial bodies. The third section concerns bodily humors. The fourth and final section addresses therapeutic baths—their types, timing, effects, and rules of application.
I believe the manuscript was written shortly after the Black Death, in the first quarter of the 15th century. During this period, Avicennian medicine spread rapidly throughout Europe and was accepted as the foundation of medical practice for many years. The content of the manuscript is largely consistent with the knowledge presented in Canon of Medicine. However, there is a crucial distinction: while the Canon functions as a database, this manuscript operates as a user interface designed for practical daily use.
Place of Composition
I believe this manuscript was produced in Padua, by a student of botany and medicine associated with the University of Padua during the first quarter of the 15th century. Founded in 1222, the University of Padua was one of the most powerful and prestigious institutions of its time in medicine, philosophy, and law.
Mode of Writing
In the early 1400s, within the intellectual environment surrounding the University of Padua, knowledge was regarded as something that should be disclosed only to those who were competent and prepared. For this reason, texts were not encrypted in the modern sense but were deliberately written in layered, symbolic, and implicitly accessible forms. I believe the Voynich manuscript follows this tradition.
Language of the Manuscript
The author wrote this manuscript in a language intended to be understood only by himself. I propose that the text may have been written in Ottoman Turkish concealed beneath a Latin-looking alphabet. Ottoman Turkish uses Arabic letters, but its word and sentence structures differ entirely from Latin. It is a consonant-based language with no written vowels, read from right to left, and its roots can acquire different meanings depending on context. Letters are highly flexible and may sometimes appear only as a single stroke, tail, or loop.
Many researchers who have studied the manuscript have assumed that the language is Latin. This assumption is understandable, as Ottoman Turkish and Latin share an almost identical sentence structure. However, Ottoman Turkish exhibits a more flexible and organic compatibility with the Voynich text.
Modern Turkey abandoned this alphabet in 1928 due to its ambiguity and susceptibility to misreading. Today, Ottoman Turkish is no longer in active use. However, in the 15th century, it was one of the principal languages of medicine. Many European physicians were proficient in it. Moreover, Italy and the Ottoman world had centuries-long cultural interactions. One well-known example is the Galata Tower, one of Istanbul’s landmarks, which is an Italian construction.
The manuscript may have been written from left to right, while the words themselves are meant to be read from right to left. In such a writing system, natural gaps would occur within lines. The author may therefore have filled these gaps with filler glyphs that are not part of the actual reading of the text. Consequently, some glyphs may serve merely as spacing elements, while others carry the core of one or two consonantal letters.
In this process, the author may have unintentionally left a crucial clue. While writing meaningful segments, he may have been more careful, and while writing filler elements, more careless—resulting in a noticeable difference in pen pressure. This pressure contrast may provide a key for isolating the meaningful components of the text.
Botanical Pages
I believe the plants depicted on the botanical pages were selected from the Canon of Medicine. These plants are grouped according to their hot, cold, or sedative properties. From each group, species that were accessible and present in Northern Italy were included.
The drawings do not aim for strict botanical realism. The primary concern is not the visual likeness of the plant but which part of it produces which effect. The colors used on flowers correspond not to their natural appearance but to their medicinal effects. The placement of text follows the same logic: if the effect relates to the leaves or flowers, the text appears in the upper part; if it relates to the stem or root, the text is placed below.
Medicinal plant descriptions from this period follow a specific formula, and I believe the explanations in the manuscript conform to this pattern. An example structure would be:
The temperament of this plant is cold and dry; it cools in the second degree. Its root and leaves are used, while the flower has little benefit. It is harvested in spring, dried in the shade, and kept away from moisture.
This plant is harmful to hot temperaments and beneficial to cold temperaments. It calms bilious heat and agitation of the blood, relieves heaviness and dizziness of the head. It cools the heat of the stomach and strengthens digestion; however, excessive use weakens the stomach and suppresses appetite.
When its decoction is drunk, it quenches thirst and aids insomnia. When prepared with honey as an electuary, it softens the chest and calms coughs. Applied externally, it reduces redness and swelling.
However, excessive consumption is harmful; it is especially damaging to those with weak hearts and cold temperaments. Such individuals should correct it with anise or ginger. It should not be given to pregnant women.
The most suitable time is early morning; it is taken for three consecutive days and discontinued on the fourth. Continued use beyond this is not permitted.
Zodiac Pages
In Avicennian medicine, the human body is believed to contain four fundamental humors, and all diseases arise from an imbalance among them. Treatment aims to restore this balance. Celestial bodies—especially the Moon, as well as Venus, Mars, and others—were believed to exert direct influence on these humors. Therefore, the timing of treatment was determined according to the positions of these bodies.
These pages represent a usage interface far ahead of their time. While such information was typically conveyed through tables and long texts, the author transformed all treatment timing charts into diagrams, creating an exceptionally practical system. In a single diagram, one can see the Moon’s passage through the zodiac, the bodily conditions associated with specific days, which treatments are beneficial or harmful, and which temperaments are suitable for which interventions.
Textual versions of these diagrams exist in contemporary manuscripts. For example, the distance of stars held in the figures’ hands indicates treatment suitability, while the vessels they stand in represent treatment methods.
Bodily Humors and Bath Pages
These pages address the four fundamental humors—blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile—and their effects on the organs. They also explain, through text and imagery, which bathing cures should be applied to which organs, at what times, and in what manner.
The Author of the Manuscript
In the Vatican archives, I identified an ownership note on the final page of a Canon of Medicine manuscript. This note states that a botany and medicine student from the University of Padua, Johannes of Androna (written at the time as Ionnes), purchased this book in 1401. It is therefore plausible that the Voynich manuscript was written by Johannes himself.
I thank everyone who has read this far and wish success to all who take part in this enigmatic journey.
Basri Emin Sütlü
I believe that presenting my theory under a set of basic headings will make it easier to follow.
Content of the Manuscript
The Voynich manuscript consists of four main sections. The first section deals with medicinal plants. The second section contains principles and diagrams related to determining the appropriate timing of treatments according to the movements of celestial bodies. The third section concerns bodily humors. The fourth and final section addresses therapeutic baths—their types, timing, effects, and rules of application.
I believe the manuscript was written shortly after the Black Death, in the first quarter of the 15th century. During this period, Avicennian medicine spread rapidly throughout Europe and was accepted as the foundation of medical practice for many years. The content of the manuscript is largely consistent with the knowledge presented in Canon of Medicine. However, there is a crucial distinction: while the Canon functions as a database, this manuscript operates as a user interface designed for practical daily use.
Place of Composition
I believe this manuscript was produced in Padua, by a student of botany and medicine associated with the University of Padua during the first quarter of the 15th century. Founded in 1222, the University of Padua was one of the most powerful and prestigious institutions of its time in medicine, philosophy, and law.
Mode of Writing
In the early 1400s, within the intellectual environment surrounding the University of Padua, knowledge was regarded as something that should be disclosed only to those who were competent and prepared. For this reason, texts were not encrypted in the modern sense but were deliberately written in layered, symbolic, and implicitly accessible forms. I believe the Voynich manuscript follows this tradition.
Language of the Manuscript
The author wrote this manuscript in a language intended to be understood only by himself. I propose that the text may have been written in Ottoman Turkish concealed beneath a Latin-looking alphabet. Ottoman Turkish uses Arabic letters, but its word and sentence structures differ entirely from Latin. It is a consonant-based language with no written vowels, read from right to left, and its roots can acquire different meanings depending on context. Letters are highly flexible and may sometimes appear only as a single stroke, tail, or loop.
Many researchers who have studied the manuscript have assumed that the language is Latin. This assumption is understandable, as Ottoman Turkish and Latin share an almost identical sentence structure. However, Ottoman Turkish exhibits a more flexible and organic compatibility with the Voynich text.
Modern Turkey abandoned this alphabet in 1928 due to its ambiguity and susceptibility to misreading. Today, Ottoman Turkish is no longer in active use. However, in the 15th century, it was one of the principal languages of medicine. Many European physicians were proficient in it. Moreover, Italy and the Ottoman world had centuries-long cultural interactions. One well-known example is the Galata Tower, one of Istanbul’s landmarks, which is an Italian construction.
The manuscript may have been written from left to right, while the words themselves are meant to be read from right to left. In such a writing system, natural gaps would occur within lines. The author may therefore have filled these gaps with filler glyphs that are not part of the actual reading of the text. Consequently, some glyphs may serve merely as spacing elements, while others carry the core of one or two consonantal letters.
In this process, the author may have unintentionally left a crucial clue. While writing meaningful segments, he may have been more careful, and while writing filler elements, more careless—resulting in a noticeable difference in pen pressure. This pressure contrast may provide a key for isolating the meaningful components of the text.
Botanical Pages
I believe the plants depicted on the botanical pages were selected from the Canon of Medicine. These plants are grouped according to their hot, cold, or sedative properties. From each group, species that were accessible and present in Northern Italy were included.
The drawings do not aim for strict botanical realism. The primary concern is not the visual likeness of the plant but which part of it produces which effect. The colors used on flowers correspond not to their natural appearance but to their medicinal effects. The placement of text follows the same logic: if the effect relates to the leaves or flowers, the text appears in the upper part; if it relates to the stem or root, the text is placed below.
Medicinal plant descriptions from this period follow a specific formula, and I believe the explanations in the manuscript conform to this pattern. An example structure would be:
The temperament of this plant is cold and dry; it cools in the second degree. Its root and leaves are used, while the flower has little benefit. It is harvested in spring, dried in the shade, and kept away from moisture.
This plant is harmful to hot temperaments and beneficial to cold temperaments. It calms bilious heat and agitation of the blood, relieves heaviness and dizziness of the head. It cools the heat of the stomach and strengthens digestion; however, excessive use weakens the stomach and suppresses appetite.
When its decoction is drunk, it quenches thirst and aids insomnia. When prepared with honey as an electuary, it softens the chest and calms coughs. Applied externally, it reduces redness and swelling.
However, excessive consumption is harmful; it is especially damaging to those with weak hearts and cold temperaments. Such individuals should correct it with anise or ginger. It should not be given to pregnant women.
The most suitable time is early morning; it is taken for three consecutive days and discontinued on the fourth. Continued use beyond this is not permitted.
Zodiac Pages
In Avicennian medicine, the human body is believed to contain four fundamental humors, and all diseases arise from an imbalance among them. Treatment aims to restore this balance. Celestial bodies—especially the Moon, as well as Venus, Mars, and others—were believed to exert direct influence on these humors. Therefore, the timing of treatment was determined according to the positions of these bodies.
These pages represent a usage interface far ahead of their time. While such information was typically conveyed through tables and long texts, the author transformed all treatment timing charts into diagrams, creating an exceptionally practical system. In a single diagram, one can see the Moon’s passage through the zodiac, the bodily conditions associated with specific days, which treatments are beneficial or harmful, and which temperaments are suitable for which interventions.
Textual versions of these diagrams exist in contemporary manuscripts. For example, the distance of stars held in the figures’ hands indicates treatment suitability, while the vessels they stand in represent treatment methods.
Bodily Humors and Bath Pages
These pages address the four fundamental humors—blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile—and their effects on the organs. They also explain, through text and imagery, which bathing cures should be applied to which organs, at what times, and in what manner.
The Author of the Manuscript
In the Vatican archives, I identified an ownership note on the final page of a Canon of Medicine manuscript. This note states that a botany and medicine student from the University of Padua, Johannes of Androna (written at the time as Ionnes), purchased this book in 1401. It is therefore plausible that the Voynich manuscript was written by Johannes himself.
I thank everyone who has read this far and wish success to all who take part in this enigmatic journey.
Basri Emin Sütlü