Editing Embryology (section)

===Ancient Asia===
Various interpretations of embryology have existed in Asia throughout history.<ref>Andreeva & Streavu (eds.), ''Transforming the Void: Embryological Discourse and Reproductive Imagery in East Asian Religions'', Brill 2015.</ref>  Included in the ancient Indian tradition of [[Ayurveda]] is ''garbhasharir'' or the study of embryology, which refers to conceptions of embryology from antiquity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Needham |first=Joseph |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001503673 |title=A history of embryology. |date=1959 |publisher=Abelard-Schuman |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Khedikar |first=Sachin |date=April 14, 2016 |title=Critical Appraisal of Embryological Concepts (Garbhasharir) Delineated in Ayurveda |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308524759 |journal=TM Journal |pages=45}}</ref> Descriptions of the [[amniotic sac]] appear in the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]], [[Bhagavata Purana]]'',<ref>The translation of one of the relevant texts may be accessed [https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/31/ here].</ref> and the ''[[Sushruta Samhita]]''. One of the [[Upanishads]] known as the ''Garbhopanisaḍ'' states that the embryo is "like water in the first night, in seven nights it is like a bubble, at the end of half a month it becomes a ball. At the end of a month it is hardened, in two months the head is formed".<ref name=":1">John Wallingford, "Aristotle, Buddhist scripture and embryology in ancient Mexico: building inclusion by re-thinking what counts as the history of developmental biology", Development 2021.</ref> In Indian literature, the start of consciousness in an embryo is not clearly defined. Some scriptures state that it is active at conception, while others suggest that consciousness begins in the seventh to ninth month of fetal development. Many South Asian traditions, including some Tibetan traditions, believe that the fetus has conscious experiences towards the end of its development.<ref>{{Citation |last=Garrett |first=Frances Mary |title=Narratives of embryology: Becoming human in Tibetan literature. |date=2004-12-12 |work= |pages= |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/95e3b64598c54d97202cdbf58cfb49f4/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y |access-date= |publisher=University of Virginia |isbn=978-0-19-538004-0}}</ref>     

The development of the human embryo is mentioned in the ancient [[Buddhist]] text of Garbhāvakrāntisūtra (1st-4th century CE). It mentions the human gestation period of 38 days. The text describes embryonic development in first three weeks as a liquid part of yogurt and the differentiation of body parts such as arms, leg, feet and head in the third month.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kritzer |first=Robert |title=Tibetan Texts of Garbhāvakrāntisūtra: Differences and Borrowings |url=https://www.academia.edu/6315789}}</ref><ref name=":1" />