An AI-driven project at the Bodleian Libraries has successfully reconstructed and translated previously unreadable fragments of the 5th-century Bower Manuscript. The newly deciphered sections contain a sophisticated Sanskrit compendium of medical protocols focusing on neuro-degenerative symptoms, including early descriptions of memory loss and motor dysfunction, along with complex herbal distillation formulas.
The manuscript, discovered in Chinese Turkestan in the 19th century, is one of the oldest surviving Sanskrit medical texts. The use of Neural Language Models allowed researchers to fill in gaps caused by physical decay, revealing that Gupta-era physicians had developed a detailed classification system for neurological disorders that emphasizes the balance of internal 'vital air' (Vayu) and blood circulation.