Oil of brick

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 ^[1]. 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. ^[2]

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Oil of brick was used in pre-modern medicine as a treatment for tumors, in the spleen, in palsies, and epilepsies ^[2]. It was used by lapidaries as a vehicle for the emery by which stones and gems were sawn or cut. ^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
2. ^ ^{a b} This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.