Moor's Head, Distillation, 1512
The apparatus is a Moor's head, which separates distillate materials. A type of still and appropriate for small distillation batches, its shape allows it to sit atop of a working furnace. At top, cooling water surrounds alembics, which are the cups and caps of a still. These alembics are the top part of stills that function as receivers of condensed materials during distillation, and the water bath functions as a cooling mechanism. A wooden casing holds the alembics and water, and in the center is a copper heating dome connected to the furnace below. Brunschwig's Liber de arte distillandi simplicia et composita (Little Book of Distillation) was one of the earliest books ever written concerning the subjects of chemistry and pharmacology. Printed in Strasbourg in 1512, it is a practical manual on chemical, alchemical, and distillation devices and techniques used to manufacture drug therapies. It includes instructions on how to distill aqua vitae, potable gold, artificial and natural balsams and how to use distillates to treat illnesses in surgical cases. The last of the 16th century herbals, this book is widely regarded to be an important link between the Middle Ages and modern times. Hieronymus Brunschwig (1450 - 1512), was a German physician, surgeon, chemist, and pharmacologist. He was notable for his early work on chemical techniques, as well as his methods of treatment of gunshot wounds. He died in 1512 at the age of 61 or 62.
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