ABSTRACT
This article offers a critical examination of the use of milk for therapeutic purposes in Greek and Latin medical works from the fifth century BC to the seventh century AD. It is also informed by other contemporary sources, including papyri preserving wet nurses’ contracts and magico-medical texts, such as the Kyranides. It shows that the use of breastmilk in medicine was originally related to the treatment of the female body, being administered for gynaecological illnesses. By the early centuries AD, breastmilk was used for a large number of affections, especially eye and ear infections. At the same time, it was reported to be an efficacious therapeutic agent for serious diseases, such as phthisis. Another focus of this study is on the importance medical authors put on the quality of milk, including advice on daily regimen, promoting strong growth in children, and the prevention of infantile diseases, such as epilepsy.
