Medicine in ancient Rome mother's milk (or colostrum) is actually a rather effective treatment. Colostrum has been shown to prevent the growth of "Staphylococcus" bacteria, which are a known cause of several types of infection. Colostrum is about half as effective as some antibiotics prescribed to patients today. Colostrum is also effective against the bacterium chlamydia; this is the cause of a sexually transmitted disease and also can cause severe sight impairment, if not blindness. Thus, colostrum was a rather effective treatment in the ancient world – perhaps that is why it was viewed as a divine treatment. The interpretation of dreams was another
Colostrum studies indicate that colostrum should be fed to bovines within the first thirty minutes to maximize IgG absorption rates. Colostrum varies in quality and quantity. In the dairy industry, the quality of colostrum is measured as the amount of IgG (Immunoglobulin G) per liter. It is recommended that newborn calves receive at least 4 quarts (liters) of colostrum with each containing at least 50 grams of IgG/liter. Testing of colostral quality can be done by multitude of devices including colostrometer, optical refractometer or digital refractometer. Mature dairy cattle produce an average of 33 liters of colostrum in the first milking