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Donkey milk knowledge archive · Historical source
Buffon’s Histoire naturelle (1753): what the naturalist wrote about donkey milk
In the fourth volume of his Natural History in 1753, Buffon states that the use of donkey milk extends “from the Greeks down to us” and describes how a milk-producing she-ass should be selected and fed.
- Author
- Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707–1788)
- Work
- Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, Tome IV
- Passage
- Chapter “L’Asne” (The Ass), p. 402 (Paris, Imprimerie royale, 1753)
- Time & place
- 1753 · France (Paris)
- Type of source
- Natural history
In the original words
What the original says
le lait d’ânesse au contraire est un remède éprouvé & spécifique pour certains maux, & l’usage de ce remède s’est conservé depuis les Grecs jusqu’à nous
Donkey milk, on the other hand, is regarded [according to Buffon] as a proven and specific remedy for certain ailments, and this use has been preserved from the Greeks down to our time.
il faut choisir une ânesse jeune, saine, bien en chair, qui ait mis bas depuis peu de temps
One must choose a young, healthy, well-fed she-ass that has recently foaled.
English rendering: our own translation by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team, following the sense of the text.
Background
Who, when, what kind of text
Buffon was intendant of the royal botanical garden in Paris. His “Histoire naturelle” appeared from 1749 in 36 volumes and was a widely read work of natural history in 18th-century Europe. Volume IV (1753) deals with domestic animals, including the horse and the ass.
Buffon wrote as a naturalist, not as a physician. His statements on medical uses reflect the doctrine of his time, which was still largely based on ancient authors such as Galen.
Content
What the source reports about donkey milk
At the end of the chapter on the ass, Buffon deals with the animal’s uses. While he describes donkey meat as poor and – citing Galen – as unwholesome, he contrasts it with donkey milk: it was a proven remedy “for certain ailments”, and its use had been preserved since the Greeks.
Buffon names practical conditions: the she-ass should be young, healthy and well fed, have recently foaled and not be covered again. The foal would be weaned and the animal fed with hay, oats, barley and herbs.
Immediately afterwards, Buffon distances himself critically: the ancients had also attributed special powers to the blood, urine and organs of the ass, but experience had refuted this or at least not confirmed it.
At a glance
Figures & facts from the source
Critical assessment
How reliable is this source?
Source value
First edition from the Royal Printing House, verifiable page by page as a digital copy. The text was translated and copied throughout Europe, including in Krünitz’s Oekonomische Encyclopädie.
A critical view already in Buffon
It is remarkable that Buffon distinguishes between donkey milk and the other “ass remedies” of antiquity and expressly describes the latter as not confirmed by experience.
Today’s assessment
The statement about “certain ailments” reflects the knowledge of the 18th century. It does not substantiate any health effect of donkey milk and cannot be transferred to today.
Our assessment
Buffon’s text was widely quoted and adopted during the Enlightenment. What we find particularly interesting are the practical details on keeping and feeding the milk she-ass – and Buffon’s scepticism towards older folk remedies.
References
Sources to check
- Primary sourceOriginal edition 1753, p. 402 (archive.org, copy BIU Santé Paris)
https://archive.org/details/BIUSante_pharma_006262x04/page/n442/mode/1up
More sources and studies in the research archive. Summarised by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team, as of November 2026.