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The woman of the Gao family in Lingmushu Alley, Hangzhou, was forty-seven years old. She suffered from metrorrhagia (uterine bleeding) for over two months, with continuous dripping. Initially, the blood was bright red; later, it gradually became pale. Whenever she sat up or stood, the blood would suddenly gush out profusely as if pouring.

She experienced alternating chills and fever (alternating cold and heat sensations), her lower limbs felt paralyzed, and she could not turn over in bed. Her complexion was as white as paper, and her lips and tongue lacked color. She often felt dim vision and emptiness in her head. Since the onset of the illness, she had consulted several physicians and taken more than seventy doses of medicine, but to no effect (like water thrown on a stone). She then invited me to treat her. Her pulse at both Guan (middle) and Chi (cinnabar) positions was floating, deficient, hollow (Kou), and large; upon heavy pressure, it was weak and spiritless. The Cun (inch) position was choppy and irregular. I said: "At forty-nine (seven times seven), women's Tian Gui (menstrual essence) is about to exhaust, and their Qi and Blood are weaker than in their prime. Now that the disease has persisted for a long time, with severe lower jiao bleeding like a pour, the amount of blood lost exceeds several dou. The blood of the Chong and Ren vessels (the Sea of Blood) has likely all descended. Urgent supplementation of Qi and Blood is required. Although the condition is critical, if you take my prescription without any modification, you can still turn danger into safety." I prescribed a combination of Bu Xue Tang (Blood-Nourishing Decoction) and Jiao Ai Tang (Colla Corii Asini and Mugwort Leaf Decoction), adding shell-type minerals to anchor Yang and stop bleeding. The formula consisted of Huang Qi (Astragali Radix) 1 liang, Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) 4 qian, Dang Shen (Codonopsis Radix), Bai Shao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), E Jiao (Colla Corii Asini), Jing Jie Tan (Scutellariae Barbatae Carbo), Guan Zhong Tan (Cyathiophyllae Spora Carbo), and Xue Yu Tan (Carbo Hominis) each 3 qian, Jiang Tan (Zingiberis Rhizoma Carbo) 1.5 qian, Chen Ai Ye (Artemisiae Argyi Folium) 7 slices, Du Zhong (Eucommiae Cortex), Chuan Duan (Dipsaci Radix), and Sang Ji Sheng (Taxilli Herba) each 2.5 qian, Mu Li (Concha Ostreae) 8 qian. Decoct in water, add half a teacup of Tong Bian (child's urine). After two doses, the bleeding decreased, and her lower limbs could move slightly. Then, Sang Ji Sheng, Chuan Duan, Xue Yu Tan, and Huang Qi were removed; Huang Qi was reduced to 6 qian. Dang Shen was replaced with Gao Li Shen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Koreanum), and Shu Di Huang (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata) 1 liang was added, along with Lu Jiao Jiao (Corvi Cornu Colla) and Long Gu (Os Draconis) each 3 qian, and Fu Zi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata) 1 qian. After another two doses, the bleeding stopped, she could sit up, her lips and face turned slightly rosy, and her pulse gained root. However, leukorrhea continued. After five more doses, all symptoms resolved. Note: Tonifying Qi for blood loss is an ancient method that should be followed; originally, this was not a difficult case. Yet, after prolonged treatment by several doctors with no effect, is it not laughable?

The wife of Wei Xiaoyin, a patrol officer from Dinghai, was in her thirties. Previously, she had been pregnant for four months. Due to lower back pain and abdominal pain, she was misdiagnosed with blood stasis and administered blood-breaking herbs, resulting in miscarriage. Over a year later, the original physician used the same drugs again, causing another miscarriage. In the autumn of the Bingxu year, she missed her period for four months, with recurring lower back and abdominal pain. She invited me to diagnose her. Her pulse was wiry, deficient, slippery, and rapid, with the Chi position restless and unstable. I said: "This is a fetal pulse." I asked how many months pregnant she was. She replied nearly four months. I said: "The pulse has deviated from the normal meridian pattern; the fetus is about to miscarry." She recounted the previous history in detail. I said: "Your previous two miscarriages occurred at four months. Now that you have reached that time again, like a weak melon on a fragile stem, another miscarriage is imminent." She said, "Although my waist and abdomen hurt, there is no bleeding yet." I said: "Given the pulse, spotting will inevitably occur. For now, use a fetal-calming method: Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) plus Sang Ji Sheng, Du Zhong, Chuan Duan, Jiao Ai, and Sha Ren. Before taking the medicine, bleeding started." She brought the prescription to ask me. I said: "This formula correctly treats Tai Lou (threatened abortion with spotting). However, whether the fetus can be saved cannot be predetermined, yet it must be taken." The next day, bleeding increased. I examined her again; the rapid pulse had slowed, and the Chi position had calmed slightly. I said: "The pulse seems to have gained root; the fetus can be saved." He asked, "If the fetus can be saved, why did the bleeding increase? Why do the waist and abdomen still hurt?" I said: "This diagnosis relies on the pulse, not just symptoms. Yesterday, before the bleeding started, I predicted it would happen. Blood that has left the meridians naturally needs to be expelled. If we forcibly stop it, blood stasis will cause complications, leading to various pathological changes. The blood that has already left the meridians must be completely expelled, so the remaining blood within the meridians will naturally stop. However, postpartum recovery requires one to two months of tonification." I added Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix), Fu Ling (Poria), and Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) to the previous formula. After two more doses, the bleeding stopped, and the fetus was ultimately preserved. Alas! How many cases of fetal damage due to medical error exist in the world? Is this not the sin of physicians?