Ok. I completely realize a lot of people would find the whole idea horrible and creepy.. but, if mother's milk can help provide an infant with immunity, could it not also help someone with a depressed immune system?

Going with Treon's suggestion for clarification: Find women in wonderful health who wish to donate and are capable of doing so, screen for disease, and create an IV serum that would be used without the associate stigma of drinking the milk.

The invention is the novel use of breast milk, taking advantage of its natural properties to confer immunity.

Just a thought.
-- bigattichouse, Dec 13 2006

Lactation weight loss Lactation_20weight_20loss
Some talk of the immunologic powers of milk here. I met a guy once who had a close group of friends, all of whom had babies about the same time. He proposed that the babies nurse around, to maximize the immunity received. A baby key party of sorts. His proposal was not well received, but not because of lack of scientific merit. [bungston, Dec 14 2006]

Breast-milk compounds could be a tonic for adult ills http://www.sciencen...s/20061209/bob8.asp
[ldischler, Dec 15 2006]

Don't worry about the noise, it's just the milkman. http://en.wikipedia...wiki/Male_lactation
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 16 2006]

I could be wrong here, but I'm not seeing any new invention. Interesting idea anyway.
-- hidden truths, Dec 13 2006


I would like to say bad science but sadly you do not offer any science at all bad or good. You offer a thought and a question. Fishbone for that.
-- zeno, Dec 13 2006


Colostrum? I think there are some who would agree with what you say.

-- Zimmy, Dec 13 2006


Ever seen a 12 year old suck on some granny boobs?
-- twitch, Dec 13 2006


What an odd question.
-- Texticle, Dec 13 2006


Go to Peru, baby! (or, Go to Peru, 12-year- old!)

Or just GM some cows so that they produce human milk.
-- twitch, Dec 14 2006


I do find this horribly creepy, but probably also worth studying; which nobody seems to have done. Two factors that might get in the way:

- The developing immune system of a newborn is very different from that of a grown person.

- Brest milk from a mother who just gave birth to a baby is probably tailored towards that baby in certain ways; its health benefits don't necessarily translate to strangers.
-- jutta, Dec 14 2006


Wha?
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 14 2006


The scab snorting thing had to do with cowpox, I think.
-- bungston, Dec 14 2006


Updated for slightly less creepy factor
-- bigattichouse, Dec 14 2006


I like the way that your version has punctuation.
-- Texticle, Dec 14 2006


Nope, still not seeing an invention here. Using something commonly known to exist for a different purpose is no more an invention than if I decided to use a sombrero as a toboggan.
-- hidden truths, Dec 14 2006


You mean like heating a carbon filament in a vacuum? Wires that act like resistors get hot when electricity is applied, some kook just figured he'd make em hot enough to glow - and put em in a noble gas or at low pressure to prevent corrosion.

Many inventions involve synthesis and exploiting a property of a known phenomenon for another purpose.
-- bigattichouse, Dec 15 2006


So where do we get all this extra breast milk from? If somebody has a baby, most likely the milk would be used for that baby.
-- Chefboyrbored, Dec 16 2006


A woman can continue to produce milk after her baby has stopped nursing.

Heck, so can you. [link]
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 16 2006



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