Buyer protection
Donkey milk knowledge archive · Historical source
Encyclopædia Britannica 1911: ass’s milk in the milk table of the article “Milk”
In 1911 the famous eleventh edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica included ass’s milk in its table of the main kinds of milk. The article cautiously explains the virtues attributed to it by differences between the milk of ruminants and non-ruminants.
- Author
- Unsigned editorial article of the Encyclopædia Britannica
- Work
- The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition, vol. 18 (“Medal” to “Mumps”)
- Passage
- Article “Milk”, introduction with table of kinds of milk, p. 452 (article begins on p. 451)
- Time & place
- 1911 · Cambridge / London (also issued in New York)
- Type of source
- Encyclopaedia (subject article)
In the original words
What the original says
It is probable that the milk of ruminants possesses certain physical and physiological distinctions from that of non-ruminant animals, which will account for the virtues attributed to the milk of the ass and mare.
It is probable that the milk of ruminants has certain physical and physiological differences from that of non-ruminants, which would explain the virtues attributed to the milk of the she-ass and the mare.
The following table exhibits the chemical constitution of the kinds of milk most frequently used by man:—
The following table shows the chemical composition of the kinds of milk most often used by humans: [cow, goat, ewe, mare, ass and human follow].
English rendering: our own translation by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team, following the sense of the text.
A look at the original
What the passage looks like
Page 452 of volume 18 of the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911): the article “Milk” with the table listing ass’s milk beside cow’s, goat’s, ewe’s, mare’s and human milk.
The page comes from a freely accessible digitised copy. Click to open the passage at the library.
Wikimedia Commons / Wikisource (DjVu-Scan der Ausgabe von 1911); gemeinfrei
Background
Who, when, what kind of text
The eleventh edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica appeared in 1910–1911 in 29 volumes from Cambridge University Press and is regarded as one of the most influential encyclopaedias in English. Many articles were written and signed by specialists; the article “Milk” bears no initials and therefore comes from the editorial staff. The work is in the public domain and transcribed page by page on Wikisource.
The article “Milk” first deals with the nature and composition of milk, then at length with milk hygiene: bacteria, pasteurisation and sterilisation, with reference to a 1908 report by English towns. Ass’s milk appears right in the introduction, where the article compares the milk of different animals.
Content
What the source reports about donkey milk
The text describes milk as an emulsion of fat globules in a solution of casein, milk sugar and salts. All animal milks contain these substances, only in different proportions. Then comes the sentence on ass’s milk: the milk of ruminants probably differs physically and physiologically from that of other animals, which might explain the virtues attributed to the milk of the ass and the mare.
The following table sets six kinds of milk side by side. For ass’s milk it takes an analysis by the French chemists Chevallier and Henry: 91.65 % water, 0.11 % fat, 1.82 % casein and albumin, 6.08 % sugar and 0.34 % ash. Human milk stands right next to it with 88.02 % water and 7.03 % sugar.
Later the article also discusses milk for infant feeding, but only cow’s milk. Donkey milk is not a substitute for breast milk or infant formula; infant feeding belongs in medical hands.
At a glance
Figures & facts from the source
Timeline
Where this source stands in the history of donkey milk
Each dot is a source from our knowledge archive – from Greek antiquity to the present day.
Critical assessment
How reliable is this source?
Source value
The 1911 Britannica shows what was considered established general knowledge around 1910. The text can be checked on Wikisource beside the page scan. The article is unsigned; the table brings together older individual analyses by various chemists.
An old single analysis
The fat value of 0.11 % rests on a single, considerably older French analysis and is below the means that German handbooks of the same years calculated from many analyses. The figure should therefore not be read as a typical value.
Today’s assessment
The restraint of the article is remarkable: it speaks of “attributed” virtues and offers only a cautious explanation. For present-day statements on composition, modern analyses are authoritative.
Our assessment
The passage shows that in 1911 ass’s milk naturally belonged among the kinds of milk a reference work for a broad public presented. At the same time the tone is sober: the encyclopaedia reports a reputation instead of confirming it.
References
Sources to check
- Primary sourceEncyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition, vol. 18 (Cambridge 1911), article “Milk”, p. 452 with the table of kinds of milk; Wikisource transcription beside the page scan
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:EB1911_-_Volume_18.djvu/476 - SupplementaryThe complete article “Milk” of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica as continuous text on Wikisource
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Milk
More sources and studies in the research archive. Summarised by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team, as of November 2026.