Voynich -- Opening The Doors #5

["Dana F. Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

     As we work our way through the mysteries of the Voynich manuscript
we are constantly searching for an accurate translation of the text, the
nature of the contents of the manuscript, and the name of the author of
this fabulous document. Part of the enjoyment in unraveling its secrets
is that we are all free to make our choices and opinions, adjusting our
thoughts as we proceed. Our favorite selections help to serve as a focal
point in our evaluation of the manuscript. I too have my favorites, but
I am always interested in all opinions and observations and will quickly
change my preferences when a better and more favorable approach tips the
scales in a new direction.
     From the wide range of possibilities for who might be the most
likely author of the VMS, currently on the top of my list is Andrea
Cesalpino, a scholar well known as a significant contributor in the
science of Botany and medicine. He was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, on June
5 (6?), 1525 (this year is an adjustment from an earlier estimation of
1519). His father was an Artisan (mason) in Arezzo who was able to
support his son's enrollment at the University of Pisa where Andrea
earned both MD and PhD degrees. In addition to Botany, he studied the
human circulatory system and described the functioning of the heart
valve. He was interested in plant morphology and metallurgy. Galileo was
one of his students. As Dante had chosen Virgil and Beatrice to be his
guides, so it appears that Andrea had chosen his guide, Aristotle,  in
one of his books. He was director of the second Botanical garden at Pisa
and his collection of plants, his Herbariuum, is preserved in Florence.
A great deal is known about him. He is well published. I believe there
are even streets named after him in Arezzo, Florence, and Milan, and
there is a Fondazione named after him at La Sapienza. His name occurs in
Botanical plant classifications. After a distinguished career at Pisa he
went to teach medicine at La Sapienza in Rome and was personal physician
to Pope Clement VIII. He died in Rome on February 23 (or March?), 1603.
The more I learn about Andrea Cesalpino, the more I am impressed by him
as an excellent candidate for having penned the Voynich manuscript, but
as always, without further corroboration, this is just one individual's
choice from a wide range of possibilities.

Portrait, Andrea Cesalpino
http://www.dsb.unipi.it/HBP/Cards/Pictus/imcesa-rett.html

Biography (English)
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hort/history/034.html
http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Catalog/Files/ceslpino.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03545c.htm
http://www.bartlebee.net/65/ca/Caesalpi.html
http://stud4.tuwien.ac.at/~e9025479/medhist/biographie/cesalpino.html
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/Frank/People/cesalpin.html
http://www.fwkc.com/encyclopedia/low/articles/c/c004001337f.html

Biography (Italian)
http://www.didael.it/Ortobot/universi/persone/cesalpin.htm
http://www.dsb.unipi.it/HBP/Cards/Pictus/biocesa-i.html
http://campus.sede.enea.it/internetscuola/ortobot/universi/persone/cesalpin.htm

Statue of Andrea Cesalpino
http://clendening.kumc.edu/dc/rm/16_29p.jpg

Cesalpino's Herbarium
http://astr17pi.difi.unipi.it/CITD/1997/ElenaSalsi/colleze.htm

Herbarium, Andrea Cesalpino
(make following selections: Botanic --> Collections --> Historic
pre-linnaean herbaria)
http://www.unifi.it/unifi/msn/main_eng.htm

Florence Herbarium
http://www.dipbot.unict.it/Erbario/locali.html

Fondazione "Andrea Cesalpino" - Università La Sapienza, Roma (example of
a report)
http://www.emergenzaecstasy.it/levrero.html

Arezzo
http://www.firenze.net/events/itineraries/arezzo.htm
http://www.arezzoweb.com/Rubriche/Dintorni/arezzo_uk.asp

Arezzo, Andrea Cesalpino on mural painting with other famous dignitaries
(middle right panel)
http://www.cittadiarezzo.com/ita/storia/illu.htm

Arezzo City Banner
http://www.peterpan.it/picmuseo/arstemma.jpg

Hortus Botanicus Pisanus (click on portrait to enlarge)
http://www.dsb.unipi.it/HBP/Htmls/Pictus/prefetti-i.html

La Sapienza
http://www.unimo.it/ortobot/horti/CD/Roma1/Fig3.htm

Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"
http://www.ips.it/musis/main_mus.html

Orto Botanico dell'Università di Roma "La Sapienza"
http://www.unimo.it/ortobot/horti/CD/Roma1/Roma1home.html

Botanic Garden
http://astr17pi.difi.unipi.it/CITD/1997/AlessandroBonaccorsi/500e.htm

Botany
http://www.rrz.uni-hamburg.de/biologie/b_online/e01/01h.htm

De Plantis, by Theophrastus, student of Aristotle
http://www.oseda.missouri.edu/~kate/guardians/gailsden/art/theo.html

Galileo on Dante's Inferno
http://www.italnet.nd.edu/Dante/text/Galileo.html

Aristotle
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01713a.htm
http://galileo.imss.firenze.it/vuoto/earist.html

Portrait, Aristotle (interesting similarities to Andrea's portrait; book
and beard)
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html

Renaissance Humanism
http://www.pagesz.net/~stevek/intellect/humanism.html

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