Editing History of science (section)

====Disease and healing====
[[File:PEbers c41-bc.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The Ebers Papyrus ({{circa|1550&nbsp;BCE|lk=no}}) from [[Ancient Egypt]] ]]
Egypt was also a center of [[History of alchemy|alchemy]] research for much of the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean]]. According to the [[Egyptian medical papyri|medical papyri]] (written {{circa|2500–1200 BCE|lk=no}}), the ancient Egyptians believed that disease was mainly caused by the invasion of bodies by evil forces or spirits.<ref name= "lindberg2007a"/> Thus, in addition to [[Egyptian medicine|medicine]], therapies included prayer, [[incantation]], and ritual.<ref name= "lindberg2007a"/> The [[Ebers Papyrus]], written {{circa|1600&nbsp;BCE|lk=no}}, contains medical recipes for treating diseases related to the eyes, mouth, skin, internal organs, and extremities, as well as abscesses, wounds, burns, ulcers, swollen glands, tumors, headaches, and bad breath. The [[Edwin Smith Papyrus]], written at about the same time, contains a surgical manual for treating wounds, fractures, and dislocations. The Egyptians believed that the effectiveness of their medicines depended on the preparation and administration under appropriate rituals.<ref name= "lindberg2007a"/> Medical historians believe that ancient Egyptian pharmacology, for example, was largely ineffective.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite book |last=Perkins |first=Michael D. |chapter=Pharmacological Practices of Ancient Egypt |title=Proceedings of the 10th Annual History of Medicine Days |hdl=1880/51835 |editor-first=W. A. |editor-last=Whitelaw |access-date=9 March 2010 |url=http://www.hom.ucalgary.ca/Dayspapers2001.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407062556/http://www.hom.ucalgary.ca/Dayspapers2001.pdf|publisher=Faculty of Medicine, The University of Calgary |date=2001 |pages=5–11 |archive-date=2008-04-07 }}</ref> Both the Ebers and Edwin Smith papyri applied the following components to the treatment of disease: examination, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Edwin Smith papyrus: Egyptian medical book |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edwin-Smith-papyrus |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=21 December 2016 |archive-date=1 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101084403/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179901/Edwin-Smith-papyrus |url-status=live }}</ref> which display strong parallels to the basic [[empirical method]] of science and, according to G. E. R. Lloyd,<ref>Lloyd, G. E. R.  "The development of empirical research", in his ''Magic, Reason and Experience: Studies in the Origin and Development of Greek Science''.</ref> played a significant role in the development of this methodology.