小儿急慢惊风之说。古书不载。后人妄立名目。概用金石脑麝之品。贻害至今。杀人不
知凡
几。虽代有名哲。因世俗胶结既久。猝难更正。故著作之家。不得不仍以惊风二字目之矣。
夫小儿形气未充。易生恐怖。又何尝无惊吓之症。是凡骤闻异声。骤见异形。或跌扑叫呼。
雷声鼓乐。鸡鸣犬吠。一切闻所未闻。见所未见。皆能致病。治法急宜收复神气为要。此即
内经所谓大惊猝恐之症是也。但当以惊吓二字立名。不当以惊风二字目之矣。此立名之妄。
其误一也。其次。亦有因惊吓而致肝心二脏。木火俱病者。用药但宜泻心平肝。其病自已。
亦非金石脑麝所宜投。其误二也。至于慢惊。或因吐泻。或因病后。或因过服克伐之剂。
或脾胃素虚。以致脏腑虚损已极。全属虚寒败症。急宜温补。无风可逐。无惊可疗。而名之
曰慢惊。更属谬妄。其误三也。此外。如伤风发搐。伤食发搐。潮热发搐。将见痘疹发搐。
太阳病变痉。以及天钓。内钓。痫症之类。皆有搐掣反张强直之状。世人不知。昧于分别。
往往亦混作惊风施治。且或委之于无知妇人之手。致令无辜赤子。横遭夭折。其误四也。今
将以上各条。辨症论治之法。汇列于后。俾临症者有所指归。一洗从前陋习。庶几登赤子于
寿域矣乎。
The concepts of "acute convulsion" (Ji Jing Feng) and "chronic convulsion" (Man Jing Feng) in children are not recorded in ancient texts. These terms were arbitrarily established by later generations, who indiscriminately used substances such as minerals (Shi Jin), borneol (Nao), and musk (She Xiang). The harm caused has persisted to the present day, resulting in countless deaths. Although distinguished physicians have appeared in successive dynasties, due to the deep-rooted nature of these secular beliefs, it is difficult to correct them abruptly. Therefore, authors of medical works have felt compelled to continue using the term "convulsion" (Jing Feng) to describe this condition.
Children's physical form and vital energy (Qi) are not yet fully developed, making them prone to fear. Is there no such thing as a syndrome caused by fright? In fact, any sudden exposure to strange sounds or unusual shapes, falling and crying out, thunder, drumming, music, barking dogs, or anything else unheard of or unseen can induce disease. The treatment method urgently requires restoring and consolidating the Shen (Spirit/Mind). This corresponds to the syndrome of "great fright and sudden terror" described in the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon). However, it should be named "fright" (Jing Xia) rather than "convulsion" (Jing Feng). This is the first error regarding the nomenclature.
Secondly, some cases arise from fright affecting the Liver and Heart organs, leading to pathology in both Wood (Liver) and Fire (Heart). Medication should only focus on draining Heart Fire and calming the Liver. The illness will resolve naturally. Such conditions are also not suitable for treatment with minerals, borneol, or musk. This is the second error.
Regarding chronic convulsion, it may result from vomiting and diarrhea, post-illness weakness, excessive use of purgative or attacking agents that damage healthy Qi, or inherent Spleen and Stomach deficiency. This leads to extreme deficiency and damage of the Zang-Fu organs, constituting a pure deficiency-cold degenerative syndrome. Urgent warming and tonification are required; there is no wind pathogen to dispel and no fright to treat. Naming this "chronic convulsion" is even more absurd. This is the third error.
Furthermore, conditions such as convulsions caused by wind injury (Shang Feng), food stagnation (Shang Shi), tidal fever (Chao Re), impending eruption of smallpox/variolae (Dou Zhen), transformation of Taiyang disease (Tai Yang Bing - a syndrome caused by pathogenic invasion of the Taiyang channel) into spasm (Jing), as well as Tian Diao (a pediatric condition characterized by upward deviation of eyes and opisthotonos), Nei Diao (a pediatric condition characterized by abdominal pain, restlessness, and cold extremities), and epilepsy (Xian Zheng), all present with symptoms of twitching, traction, opisthotonos, and rigidity. People are unaware of these distinctions and often confuse them, treating them all as convulsion. Moreover, care is sometimes entrusted to ignorant women, causing innocent infants to suffer premature death. This is the fourth error.
Hereafter, the methods for differentiating syndromes and treating the above various conditions are compiled to provide guidance for clinicians, aiming to eradicate previous bad habits and hopefully allow infants to attain longevity.