典藏书目

Li Dongyuan said: During the ten months in the mother's womb, the infant breathes along with the mother. Breathing involves Yang Qi (vital energy), which continuously nourishes Essence, Qi, and Spirit during growth and movement. When hungry, it drinks maternal blood; when thirsty, it also drinks maternal blood. As days pass, the infant grows, and skin, flesh, blood vessels, tendons, bones, form, and Qi all become sufficient. Upon birth after ten months, there is still foul blood in the mouth. With the first cry, as air is inhaled, this foul blood is swallowed and returns to the Mingmen (Gate of Life) and Baozhong (uterus/womb), lodging in a corner, latent and not manifesting. It only erupts later due to internal injury from milk and food, where Damp-Heat (pathogenic dampness and heat) flows downward and counterflows into the muscle tissue, manifesting as sores and rashes. Therefore, medical texts state that waiting until after delivery, before the first cry, to urgently wipe the foul fluid from the mouth with cotton-wrapped fingers is indeed a good method. However, in hurried situations, one might fail to do so in time. Thus, methods using Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Zhuliao (a specific preparation/method), and Gancao (Licorice Root) were devised, which are quite excellent. But people today differ greatly from ancients in their lifestyle and self-care. I fear that infants with weak constitutions cannot tolerate such cold-cold agents. If administered, they will likely develop abnormal syndromes, such as vomiting milk or having green stools, phlegm-cough with wheezing, abdominal distension, or palpitations with fright. If there are interior syndromes with stagnation and blockage, and one wishes to purge fetal toxins, simply decocting strong liquid from Danshidou (Fermented Soybean) and giving three or five mouthfuls will naturally guide the toxin downward, while also supporting the Spleen Qi.

Luo Qianfu said: A child, in the fifth month, suffered abdominal pain due to ingesting cold rice noodles. He purchased Shenxiong Wan (Shenxiong Pill) from a pharmacy and took it. Consequently, cold pain in the umbilical and abdominal regions gradually worsened, coming and going intermittently for over seven or eight years without cessation. I recalled the ancient saying: "For cold conditions, use heat"; treating cold requires hot herbs. A skilled physician does not abandon standards or change principles. The injured substance was cold, and the attacking medicine was also cold. Double cold injuring the Stomach explains why it was cold pain. Generally, human Piwei (Spleen and Stomach) prefer warmth and dislike cold. Moreover, children have weak Blood and Qi and cannot bear cold. Thus, Yang Qi remains latent, and Cold Toxin lingers, persisting for a long time. To treat illness, one must first address the root cause. One should use harmonizing and Qi-nourishing medicines to remedy the previous error. After taking them for over a month, the child recovered. Alas! When Kangzi offered medicine, Confucius bowed and accepted it but dared not taste it, demonstrating the importance of preserving life. Why do ordinary people remain silent and allow physicians to take pulses, believing this alone can diagnose disease? Pulse reflects Blood and Qi flowing through meridians; excess heat causes rapid pulse, excess cold causes slow pulse, excess patterns show forcefulness, deficiency patterns show weakness. How can one distinguish the image of what was injured merely by pulse? Physicians must carefully examine the source of disease, and families must disclose it. In this case, the father did not inform the physician of the source but sought medicine at a market shop. The dispenser did not examine the source either, handing over medicine, resulting in a seven-to-eight-year illness. All this stems from ignorance of these principles. Sun Simiao said: "Asking before diagnosing" is most accurate. Li Dongyuan said: "Seek only to cure the disease, not to trap the physician." The words of these two gentlemen have contributed greatly to the world.