男子妇人之病。可以问而知。可以切而得。断死生。辨难易。审差剧。犹有所根据。而
不至于大误。若小儿者。怀抱之时。虽有所苦。而不能言。及能学语。又不能指其苦之处。欲诊
其脉。则骸骨短小。气血未足。寸关尺将何以分。浮中沉将何以定。虽有一指滚取二部之说
。而终未得其部位。况至数急促。岂能以悉审之。大约八九至为平。五六至为迟。十一二至
为数。依稀仿佛之间而已。故哑科治疗之难。每十倍于大人。而尤不可以不慎者也。惟虎口
之脉稍为可验。其脉在食指外侧。每一部一关。三节为三关。男视在左。女视在右。有筋脉
如系。 于肉内。仔细观之。紫则为风。红则伤寒青则为惊。白则为疳。黄则为脾困。青黑
则
为慢惊。入掌则为内吊。若三关通度为沉 之候。惟此可以少知之耳。虽然幼科之治病。当
多方求之。岂可执虎口之脉法。而尽小儿之诸病哉。必于病之未形。而用意察之。庶可以为
预消之地。如小儿呵欠连绵。乃小儿脏腑受邪。病之渐也。若面赤则知其风热。而泻肝之剂可
以先服。面青则知其惊风。而治惊之剂可以先服。面黄则知其为脾虚。而补脾之剂可以先服
。多睡则知其为内热。而清热之剂可以先服。口中气热则知其为伤风。而疏风之剂可以先服
。皆当随症形而先治之。勿俟其发而后用药也。其有不治之症者。尤不可以不知。小儿眼上
有赤脉。囟肿及陷者。一不治也。鱼口气粗。啮齿咬人者。二不治也。冷汗如雨。痰热不退
者。三不治也。脐风撮口。锁肚吊肠者。四不治也。风攻颐颔。唇项肿硬者。五不治也。鼻
有黑色者。六不治也。咳喘心痛者。七不治也。四肢浮肿者。八不治也。胸高而突起者。九
不治也。五软五硬者。十不治也。凡见此等之症。即当去矣苟不如几。而复药之。则病者之
死。虽不由于我。我亦何辞于彼哉。大凡小儿之病有常。多者不得所欲则易怒而啼。故肝病
常多。饮食不知节。虽饱而犹求食。故脾病常多。心神未定。闻响易动。故惊病常多。性喜
吮乳。甘食停积。而易感风热。故痰病常多。治儿之病。审其所常多者。酌而施之。以己之
意。参病之情。亦庶乎用药之无误也。然此数种。虽或常有。而肝脾之病尤多。神而明之。
存乎其人。得心应手。不可以言求也。
The diseases of men and women can be known through inquiry and obtained through pulse diagnosis. One can determine life and death, distinguish between difficult and easy cases, and assess the severity of the illness, all with a basis, thus avoiding major errors. However, for infants and children, although they suffer while being held in their parents' arms, they cannot speak; and when they learn to talk, they still cannot point out where it hurts. To diagnose their pulse, since their bones are short and small, and their qi and blood are not yet sufficient, how can the Cun (inch), Guan (bar), and Chi (cubit) positions be distinguished? How can the Floating (Fu), Middle (Zhong), and Deep (Chen) depths be determined? Although there is a theory of using one finger to roll and take two positions, one ultimately fails to grasp the correct pulse position. Moreover, since the pulse rate is rapid, how can it be fully examined? Generally, 8-9 beats per breath cycle is a normal pulse, 5-6 beats is a slow pulse, and 11-12 beats is a rapid pulse; these distinctions are merely vague and approximate. Therefore, the difficulty of treating pediatric diseases is often ten times that of adults, and extreme caution is required. Only the pulse at the Tiger's Mouth (Hu Kou) is somewhat verifiable. This pulse is located on the lateral side of the index finger. Each segment corresponds to a Guan (pass), and three segments constitute three Guans. For males, the left hand is observed; for females, the right hand. There is a vein resembling a thread tied within the flesh, which must be observed carefully: purple indicates Wind syndrome, red indicates Cold Damage (Shang Han), green/cyan indicates Fright syndrome, white indicates Gan accumulation (parasitic disease or malnutrition), yellow indicates Spleen distress, and cyan-black indicates Slow Convulsion syndrome. If the pulse pattern extends into the palm, it indicates Internal Torsion (Nei Diao). If the three Guans are connected and extend to the nail tip, it is a sign of Deep Cold. Only this aspect can be slightly understood. Nevertheless, when treating pediatric diseases, one should seek information from multiple sources. How can one rely solely on the Tiger's Mouth pulse method to diagnose all pediatric diseases? One must observe attentively before symptoms manifest, so as to prevent the disease in its early stages. For instance, continuous yawning in children indicates that the zang-fu organs are affected by pathogenic factors, marking the onset of illness. If the face is red, it indicates Wind-Heat, and Liver-draining formulas can be administered first. If the face is cyan, it indicates Fright-Wind, and formulas for calming fright can be used first. If the face is yellow, it indicates Spleen deficiency, and Spleen-tonifying formulas can be used first. Excessive sleepiness indicates internal heat, and heat-clearing formulas can be used first. Hot breath from the mouth indicates Wind-Cold attack, and wind-dispersing formulas can be used first. Treatment should always precede the full manifestation of symptoms based on the clinical presentation, rather than waiting for the disease to develop before administering medication. One must also know those incurable conditions. The following are ten incurable signs: 1. Red vessels on the eyelids, or bulging/sunken fontanelle. 2. Fish-mouth odor with coarse breathing, teeth grinding, or biting people. 3. Cold sweat like rain with persistent phlegm-heat. 4. Umbilical wind with mouth puckering, locked abdomen, or intestinal torsion. 5. Pathogenic wind attacking the jaw and chin, with swollen and hard lips and neck. 6. Black coloration on the nose. 7. Coughing, wheezing, accompanied by heart pain. 8. Edema of the four limbs. 9. High and protruding chest. 10. Five Softnesses (Wu Ruan) and Five Stiffnesses (Wu Ying). Upon seeing such signs, one should cease treatment. If one fails to do so promptly and continues to administer medicine, although the patient's death may not be directly attributed to me, I would have no excuse to offer to the family. Generally, pediatric diseases follow certain patterns. Most frequently, inability to get what one wants leads to anger and crying, hence Liver diseases are common. Lack of dietary moderation, craving food even after being full, leads to frequent Spleen diseases. Unsettled mind and spirit, easily startled by noise, lead to frequent Fright diseases. A nature fond of sucking milk, with stagnation of sweet foods leading to susceptibility to Wind-Heat, results in frequent Phlegm diseases. When treating pediatric illnesses, one should examine these common patterns, apply judgment, combine one's own understanding with the specific condition of the disease, and thereby minimize medication errors. Although these types are common, Liver and Spleen diseases are particularly prevalent. Profound understanding depends on the individual practitioner; the state of mental acuity and manual dexterity cannot be fully conveyed through words.