Jump to content

Oil of brick

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Oil of bricks)

Oil of brick, called by apothecaries Oleum de Lateribus and by alchemists Oil of Philosophers, was an empyreumatic oil obtained by subjecting a brick soaked in oil, such as olive oil, to distillation at a high temperature.

Manufacture

[edit]

The process initially started with pieces of brick, which were heated red hot in live coals, and extinguished in an earth half-saturated with olive oil. Being then separated and pounded grossly, the brick absorbs the oil. It was then put in a retort, and placed in a reverberatory furnace, where the oil was drawn out by fire.[1]

Uses

[edit]

Oil of brick was used in pre-modern medicine as a treatment for tumors, in the spleen, in palsies, and epilepsies.[1] It was used by lapidaries as a vehicle for the emery by which stones and gems were sawn or cut.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Oil of brick". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.