Alchemy was always quackery. It might have been proto-chemistry, but the minute it adopted scientific method it stopped being alchemy. The problem with alchemy

Alchemy was always quackery. It might have been proto-chemistry, but the minute it adopted scientific method it stopped being alchemy. The problem with alchemy is that there was no rhyme or reason to its method, other than mysticisim; it wasn't scientific in nature. If it sparked chemistry, that's a good thing; but it doesn't stop it from being quakery.