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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
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.
Uses
Oil of brick was used in pre-modern medicine as a treatment for tumors, in the spleen, in palsies, and epilepsies. It was used by lapidaries as a vehicle for the emery by which stones and gems were sawn or cut.
References
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Oil of brick". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.
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