[FlorinAndrei]

> I think it's fair to restrict the definition of "research" to methods which are likely to lead you towards the right answer rather than the much older method of "just making shit up".

It depends on how strict you are with the meaning of the word "research".

Stone Age people, by that token, were just "making shit up", but that didn't prevent them from discovering fire, etc.

The alchemists were simply using the best tools available to them. Primitive, from our perspective? Yes. That doesn't mean there wasn't genuine effort involved.