典藏书目

When the husband (Zhen, i.e., husband) is away for a long time, and the woman falls ill with symptoms resembling madness, it may seem to belong to diseases caused by the Seven Emotions (Qing, emotional factors), but this is not always the case.

Madam Chen suffered from this condition for over a month. The cost of consulting various shamans and physicians was enormous, yet her illness worsened daily. Mengying palpated her pulse, which was wiry (Xian) and rapid (Shu). She could eat normally and had regular bowel movements, but Qi often rushed upward, and her abdomen frequently felt painful and distended.
Upon inquiring about her menstrual history, she reported that the illness began after her period, followed by excessive leukorrhea. Mengying said, "Given these causes, although she is lucid during the day, she speaks deliriously at night. This closely resembles the syndrome of Heat Entering the Blood Chamber (Re Ru Xue Shi). It is appropriate to treat it directly as blood stasis." He prescribed a decoction containing Tao Ren (Peach Seed), Hong Hua (Safflower), Xi Jiao (Rhinoceros Horn), Chang Pu (Acorus Rhizome), Dan Xing (Arisaema Cum Bile), Xuan Fu Hua (Inula Flower), Zhe Shi (Hematite), Dan Shen (Salvia Root), Hu Po (Amber), and Cong Bai (Scallion White). After two doses, the blood stasis was indeed expelled, and her mental state became clear and bright.
Subsequently, Tao Ren and Hong Hua were removed, and Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis) and Yuan Shen (Scrophularia Root) were added. After several doses, she recovered.

The wife of Zhou Guangyuan suffered from metrorrhagia (Beng Lou) due to grief and depression. Her face was sallow, her abdomen distended, and both sleep and appetite were lost. Mengying prescribed Gui Ban (Tortoise Shell), Hai Piao Xiao (Cuttlefish Bone), Nv Zhen Zi (Ligustrum Fruit), Han Lian Cao (Eclipta Herb), Bei Mu (Fritillaria Bulb), Bai Ye (Cacumen Platycladi), Qing Hao (Artemisia Annua), Bai Wei (Cynanchum Atratum), Xiao Mai (Wheat), Fu Ling (Poria), Ou Rou (Lotus Flesh), and Lian Zi Xin (Plumule Nelumbinis), and she recovered.

A certain woman suffered from leukorrhea and lower back pain, with soles of her feet feeling like burning irons, making it impossible for her to take steps. Mengying administered a large dose of Gan Lu Yin (Sweet Dew Decoction), and she recovered.

The wife of Ye Cheng'en contracted an external pathogen while pregnant. She experienced coma, delirium, muteness, frequent vomiting, constipation, sweating without relief, a choppy (Se) pulse, and dry mouth. This indicated a constitutional deficiency of Ying-Yin (Nutritive Yin) and intense internal blazing of pathogenic heat. He prescribed Yuan Shen (Scrophularia Root), Shi Gao (Gypsum), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), Huang Qin (Scutellaria Root), Zhu Ru (Bamboo Shavings), Bei Mu (Fritillaria Bulb), Yin Hua (Chrysanthemum Flos), Pi Pa Ye (Loquat Leaf), Bai Wei (Cynanchum Atratum), Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit), Liang Zi (Melia Fruit), and Shi Hu (Dendrobium Stem). After several doses, she was cured.

Madam Xia contracted an external pathogen while pregnant. Physicians administered warm-dispersing formulas, leading gradually to rushing Qi, insomnia, occasional spasms and syncope, epigastric fullness with groaning, and unbearable thirst despite difficulty drinking. Her relative, Zhang Yangzhi, invited Mengying to diagnose her. Her pulse was slippery (Hua), rapid (Shu), and overflowing (Yi). Mengying prescribed Xiao Xian Xiong Tang (Minor Chest-Harmonizing Decoction) modified with Xuan Fu Hua (Inula Flower), Xie Bai (Allium Macrostemon Bulb), Shi Gao (Gypsum), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit), Zhu Ru (Bamboo Shavings), Xing Ren (Apricot Seed), Fu Pi (Pericarpium Arecae Catalpae), Su Zi (Perilla Fruit), Zhu Li (Bamboo Sap), and Hai Zao (Sargassum Thallus), administered in a large dose. She recovered within ten days.

"Ren Shu Zhi" (Records of Benevolent Arts) refers to the medical cases of Mengying annotated by Mr. Liu Yin of Haifeng. My teacher, Mr. Zhao Juzhai, and Scholar Zhuang Zhijie wrote prefaces for them. I deeply regretted not being involved in this matter. In autumn, I happened to visit Mengying when a man surnamed Chen came to thank him with a sheep. Mengying was somewhat suspicious. The man said, "In March, my second daughter-in-law suffered from a seasonal pathogen, with rebellious Qi preventing sleep. All physicians were afraid to treat her, so we specifically invited you (referring to Wang) to diagnose. As soon as you palpated her pulse, you said, 'Very slippery and rapid; this is a sign of pregnancy.' You advised that medication must take this into account. At that time, our second daughter-in-law had just given birth last autumn, and her menstruation had not yet resumed. When you spoke thus, the whole family secretly laughed. However, as her illness gradually subsided, her milk supply for nursing did not seem to decrease. Even she firmly denied being pregnant. By June, her abdomen gradually distended, and she thought she was ill. Unexpectedly, yesterday she suddenly gave birth to a grandson. The entire family respects your profound insight, hence coming to express gratitude!"
Mengying then told me, "Yesterday I diagnosed the wife of Wei Ziheng, who was also pregnant. All other physicians treated her as a deficiency-wasting disease. Although her pulse was deficient, soft, and rapid, the slippery image was still present. The patient's family deeply disagreed with my words because her two elder sisters had both died of consumptive disease (Xu Lao). However, I had diagnosed all three sisters more than ten years ago. I still remember the eldest, married to the Guan family, who died unmarried. Her condition was not untreatable but was mishandled by medicine. During her illness, she read my case records and was thoroughly convinced. She even said, 'If Master comes late, I will not be able to rise again.' Previous famous doctors merely stated that deficiency syndromes should be tonified, but they did not address the root cause of the deficiency. Their prescriptions gathered tonifying herbs, with Di Huang (Rehmannia Root) taking precedence. Even if Shen (Ginseng) and [missing character] were used, they were listed later. Even if the medication was not entirely wrong, the principles of 'Yang generates Yin' and 'Qi is the commander of Blood' were not understood, let alone other aspects? I was astonished upon hearing this. How does a young woman understand discussing medicine? Upon detailed inquiry, I learned she was the granddaughter of Mr. Wu Yingzhao, a famous physician during the Qianlong reign, which made me especially regretful. The second sister married Vice-Prefect Chen Shaolian and indeed suffered from a wasting syndrome. As for the third sister, due to the family's preconceived notions, the physician catered to them, causing errors. Is this not lamentable? By mid-autumn, I indeed heard that Mrs. Wei died in childbirth, along with her child. Only then did I sigh that Mengying's profound insight was unsurpassable. Therefore, I collected various cases from autumn and winter where the treatment methods differed from ordinary conditions, and continued this volume."

Madam Qian, four months pregnant, suffered from alternating chills and fever resembling malaria. Physicians administered dispersing and fetal-anchoring medicines, leading to a black tongue, coma, extreme thirst, diarrhea, frequent expectoration of foul-smelling phlegm, and lower back/abdominal pain with bearing-down sensation. No one knew how to handle the case. Mengying diagnosed, "Summer-heat hidden within failed to be cleared and resolved. Although the tongue is black, the pulse is slippery and rapid. Although the phlegm is foul, the breath is harmonious. Thus, the fetus is not yet damaged, and it is still treatable." He heavily used herbs that simultaneously clear Qi and Blood levels. After five doses, she stabilized. Porridge was gradually introduced, her waist and abdomen relaxed, and the fetus moved vigorously.

Madam Xu, while pregnant (Zhong Shen), suffered from pain in the four limbs, unable to flex or extend. Medications were ineffective. Some suspected paralysis. Ren Dianhua advised her to abandon specialized treatment and consult Mengying. Mengying diagnosed, "This is summer-heat entering the collaterals. My own household member once suffered from this." He prescribed Sang Zhi (Mulberry Twig), Zhu Ye (Bamboo Leaf), Bian Dou Ye (Lablab Leaf), Si Gua Luo (Luffa Fiber), Ling Yang Jiao (Antelope Horn), Dou Juan (Fermented Soybean), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), Huang Qin (Scutellaria Root), Bai Wei (Cynanchum Atratum), and Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit). Following the prescription, she recovered immediately.