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Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - fabmas - 27-11-2025
A proposal to read the manuscript as an operational guide to fertility, conception, and medieval gynecological health.
1. Introduction and Personal Intuition
I hypothesized that the manuscript is not a random collection of texts of diverse nature, but a progressive medical manual (a "Step-by-step guide") specifically dedicated to women's health, pre-conception purification, and obstetrics.
According to my analysis, the order of the sections is not accidental but follows the logic of the biological cycle: it starts with the preparation of the body (Botanical), moves to the choice of timing (Astronomical), analyzes internal effects (Balneological), observes fetal development (Cosmological), leads to the practical preparation of remedies (Pharmaceutical), and concludes with the use of the final index, that takes the place of the "recipe" part.
2. The Problem I Encountered
Traditional interpretations struggle to convincingly explain the presence of what I call "botanical chimeras" (non-existent or assembled plants) and the anomaly of female figures inserted into zodiac diagrams. My idea is that, by applying the medieval Doctrine of Signatures and interpreting the text as a work on the "Secrets of Women" (often censored or encrypted to avoid ecclesiastical condemnation), these apparently absurd images acquire a perfectly coherent metaphorical meaning.
3. My Sequential Analysis of the Sections
Phase 1: Botanical (Preparation and Purification)
- What I observed: The illustrations show plants often composed of parts from different species (e.g., disproportionate roots, flowers grafted onto non-matching stems).
- My deduction: I believe this is not a taxonomic herbarium, but a functional one. The plants represent ingredients chosen for their purifying and purgative properties, essential in the humoral medicine of the time to prepare the womb for conception.
- Key Detail: I noticed that the roots and stems, sometimes anthropomorphic or similar to organs/tubes, seem to visually indicate the target organ to be "purged," in line with the logic of signatures.
- What I observed: Zodiacs with female figures (often nude or in tubs) positioned at the center or edges of the signs.
- My deduction: I do not believe this is a generic horoscope, but a fertility calendar. It serves to indicate the propitious moments (lunar phases and specific months) to administer the cures described in Phase 1 or to attempt conception.
- Key Detail: The obsessive presence of women in the zodiac signs (e.g., Pisces, Aries) suggests to me that the focus is exclusively on the astral influence related to the menstrual and uterine cycle.
- What I observed: Nude women immersed in green/blue tubs, connected by complex plumbing systems.
- My deduction: I interpret this section as a metaphorical representation of female anatomical hydraulics. The tubes are not hydraulic, but biological (fallopian tubes, veins, intestines). The tubs represent the organs (uterus, bladder).
- My visual interpretation:
- Happy women/high up: Indicate correct flow of humors, successful purification, and therefore fertility.
- Sad/upside-down/dead women: Indicate obstruction of the "tubes," illness, sterility, or miscarriage caused by lack of treatment.
- I think the "nymphs" could metaphorically represent the ova or the vital principle ("homunculus") traveling through the body.
- Happy women/high up: Indicate correct flow of humors, successful purification, and therefore fertility.
- What I observed: The famous foldout (Folio 86v) with 6 connected circular structures and a central vortex.
- My deduction: I see here a representation of the Microcosm (womb) in parallel with the Macrocosm, describing the journey of the fetus.
- The Central Vortex: I identify this as the moment of conception/fertilization.
- The Castles/Islands: Represent the different "chambers" or stages of fetal development ("cooking" of the fetus according to medieval medicine).
- The Walls/Towers: Are the protective membranes (amnion/chorion) defending the nascent life.
- The Central Vortex: I identify this as the moment of conception/fertilization.
- What I observed: Roots, leaves, and jars (albarelli).
- My deduction: This is the practical laboratory manual. After identifying the plants (Phase 1) and the right time (Phase 2), this section explains how to transform them into bio-available medicines (decoctions, ointments) to achieve the effects seen in Phase 3.
- What I observed: Blocks of dense text with stylized stars/flowers in the margin, varying in shape and color.
- My deduction: I believe this section, often ignored, is the fundamental key to reading the manuscript. It does not contain recipes, but acts as an Index or Marginal Notes.
- The Star Code: I noticed that the marginal stars vary by color (Red, Blue, Gold) and shape (filled, hollow, number of points).
- I hypothesize that each type of star is an analog "hyperlink" referring back to one of the previous sections (e.g., Red Star = Reference to Botanical; Blue Star = Reference to Balneological).
- I hypothesize that each type of star is an analog "hyperlink" referring back to one of the previous sections (e.g., Red Star = Reference to Botanical; Blue Star = Reference to Balneological).
In conclusion, I believe the Voynich Manuscript does not need to be read as a geographical or mystical-religious code. The reading most consistent with "Occam's Razor," according to my analysis, is that of a practical, sequential, and logically structured medical manual for human reproductive assistance. The encryption of the text would be explained by the need to protect gynecological knowledge considered taboo or dangerous ("Secrets of Women") in 15th-century Europe.
Proposal for Verification
I suggest statistically analyzing the recurrence of glyphs in the final section (Phase 6) in correlation with the colors and shapes of the marginal stars, to verify if patterns exist that lead back to the specific lexicon of the previous sections, thus confirming my index theory.
This work is based on my studies on history in school and by self-taught, and obviously by some curiosity that sparked in me some months ago. I hope that even this theory doesn't lead anywhere on it's own, it may spark some new theories that finally may lead to the discovery of something new.
(P.S sorry for the formatting of the text i don't know what happened)
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - zvijezda - 28-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - Jorge_Stolfi - 29-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - Koen G - 29-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - Rafal - 29-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - nablator - 29-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - nablator - 29-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - bi3mw - 29-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - zvijezda - 29-12-2025
RE: Viewing the MS as a guide to conception and pregnancy - Koen G - 30-12-2025