慢惊者,阴症也。夫心以神为主,神以阳为用,有因久吐泻,有因暴洞泻,脾胃虚
弱,亡阳而成者;有因急惊过用寒冷,以致阳亏阴盛,心神镇坠而成者;有因伤寒下
早,表邪未去,元气已虚,致风邪伏内,痰壅气塞而成者;有因久嗽不已,肺气受伤,
肝木无制而成者。凡脉沉细迟缓,其纹色赤而微带青紫,伸来缩去,于风关者,稍轻。
于气关者,为重。其候手足必冷,口鼻气出亦冷,十指开撒,手足螈 ,昏睡露睛,涎
鸣微喘,腮间现纹紫赤,眉间唇间青黯,惊跳搐搦,虚热住来,然症属阴。治宜详察,
如果无阳症,须速生胃回阳,于温暖剂中少加截风化痰,疏通顺气,镇心定魄,随候加
减,便闭当使不闭,不可再轻迅攻,便泻当使不泻,仅可分利阴阳。若身热者,是虚热
使然耳。如症原由急惊传变,手足热而果有阳症,不可过用温暖燥热之剂。盖小儿易虚
易实,可图度用之,均平阴阳而已。若爪甲青黑者,主肝绝。目睛下陷,黑睛或无光力
者,主肾绝。身额汗出如珠,不流者,是卫气已亡,心气欲绝。咬人是齿痒,主骨绝。
呕吐频频,泻遗无度,面色如土,喘急腹胀,班色紫黑,口秽唇坚,绕口青黑者,主
脾胃绝。气急痰鸣,鼻管中黑,鱼口鸦声,主肺绝。舌黑,下便黑血,额颊深赤,如涂
胭脂,主心绝。吹鼻不嚏,下药不得,口中有痰枯塞者,是五脏咸伤。囟肿囟陷,挖舌
囊缩,啼哭无泪,眼下青纹,胃中作痛,四肢摊软,目闭失神,天柱骨倒,唇青眼红,
脚心不知痛痒,咬齿摇头,拳禁胸高,心陷气喘,目睛红色,咬唇不休,赤脉上贯瞳
神,风关纹色青黑,或至纯黑,直透命关,或纹射甲者,并皆不治。
又有冒暑而手足微搐,眼闭昏睡,身热头痛,面赤大渴,候与慢惊相似,此名暑
风。须当解暑,不可妄投惊剂。
喻嘉言曰∶惊风一症,乃古人凿空妄谈。后之小儿,受其害者,不知千百亿兆。
盖小儿初生,阴气未足,性禀纯阳,惟阴不足,阳有余,故身内易至生热,热甚生痰,
生风生惊,亦所恒有,乃以惊风命名,随有八候之目。然小儿腠理不密,更易感冒寒
邪,寒邪中人,必先中太阳之经,太阳之脉,起于目内 ,上额交巅入脑,还出别下
项,夹脊,抵腰中,是以病则筋脉牵强,遂有抽掣搐搦,角弓反张,种种不通名目,妄
用金石脑麝开关镇坠之药,引邪深入脏腑,千中千死。徒据八岁以前无伤寒之说,而立
惊风一门,殊不知小儿不耐伤寒,故初传太阳一经,早已身强多汗,筋脉牵动,人事昏
沉,病势已极,汤药妄投,危亡接踵、何由得至传经解散,故言小儿无伤寒也。小儿易
于外感,故伤寒为独多,而世所妄称惊风者,即是也。是以小儿伤寒,要在三日内即
愈为贵。若至传经,则无方以耐之矣。且伤寒门中,刚痉无汗,柔 有汗,小儿刚
少,柔 多,世医见其汗出不止,神昏不醒,便以慢惊为名,妄用参 术附,闭塞腠
理,热邪不得外越,亦为大害,但此金石略差减耳。所以凡治小儿之热,切须审其本元
虚实,察其外邪重轻,或阴或阳,或表或里,但当彻其外邪出表,不当固其入里也。
仲景原有桂枝法,若舍而不用,从事东垣内伤为治,毫里千里,最宜详细。
Slow convulsion (Man Jing Feng) belongs to Yin syndromes. The Heart governs Shen (Spirit/Mind), and the function of Shen relies on the use of Yang Qi. Some cases arise from prolonged vomiting and diarrhea, or sudden severe diarrhea, leading to Spleen-Stomach deficiency and exhaustion of Yang Qi; some result from the excessive use of cold-natured medicines during acute convulsions, causing Yang deficiency and Yin excess, leading to sinking of Shen; some occur because early purgation in Cold Damage diseases leaves exterior pathogens unresolved while Yuan Qi is already deficient, causing Wind pathogens to lie latent internally with Phlegm obstruction and Qi stagnation; some stem from chronic coughing that injures Lung Qi, allowing Liver Wood to become unrestrained. In all such cases, the pulse is deep, fine, slow, and sluggish. The fingerprint color is red with slight cyan-purple tints, extending and retracting; if located at the Wind Gate (Feng Guan), it indicates a milder condition; if at the Qi Gate (Qi Guan), it is more severe. Symptoms include cold hands and feet, cold breath from mouth and nose, splayed fingers, flaccid limbs, convulsions, deep sleep with eyes half-open revealing the whites, salivary rattling with mild wheezing, purple-red markings on the cheeks, cyan-dark hues between the eyebrows and lips, startle jumps, spasms, and intermittent deficiency heat. However, the nature of the syndrome is Yin. Treatment requires careful examination. If there are truly no Yang symptoms, one must quickly restore Stomach Qi and return Yang. In warm tonifying formulas, add small amounts of herbs to extinguish Wind, resolve Phlegm, smooth Qi, calm the Heart, and stabilize the Spirit, adjusting according to symptoms. For constipation, promote bowel movement without using harsh purgatives again; for diarrhea, stop it only by separating Yin and Yang. Any body heat present is due to deficiency heat. If the syndrome originated from transformation of acute convulsions, with hot hands/feet and genuine Yang symptoms, avoid overusing warm and drying agents. Since children are prone to both deficiency and excess, medication should be balanced to harmonize Yin and Yang. Cyan-black fingernails indicate Liver Qi exhaustion. Sunken eyeballs or black pupils lacking luster indicate Kidney Qi exhaustion. Sweat like pearls on the forehead/body that does not flow indicates loss of Wei Qi and impending Heart Qi exhaustion. Teeth grinding indicating itchy gums suggests Bone Qi exhaustion. Frequent vomiting, uncontrolled diarrhea, earth-colored complexion, rapid breathing with abdominal distension, purple-black macules, foul breath with stiff lips, and cyan-black color around the mouth indicate Spleen-Stomach Qi exhaustion. Rapid breathing with phlegm rattle, black nostrils, gaping anus (Yu Kou), and crow-like sounds indicate Lung Qi exhaustion. Black tongue, black blood in stool, deep red forehead and cheeks resembling rouge indicate Heart Qi exhaustion. Failure to sneeze upon nasal insufflation, inability to swallow medicine, and dry Phlegm blocking the mouth indicate injury to all five Zang organs. Swollen or sunken fontanelles, tongue digging, retracted testicles, crying without tears, blue lines under eyes, stomach pain, flaccid limbs, closed eyes with loss of spirit, collapse of the Tian Zhu bone (neck spine), cyan lips with red eyes, insensitivity of soles to pain, teeth grinding, head shaking, clenched fists with high chest, Heart sinking with panting, red eyes, continuous lip biting, red vessels penetrating the pupil, cyan-black Wind Gate fingerprints turning pure black, reaching the Life Gate (Ming Guan), or shooting toward the nail bed—all these are untreatable.
There is also a condition caused by exposure to Summer-Heat, presenting with slight twitching of hands and feet, closed eyes with drowsiness, fever, headache, flushed face, and intense thirst. This resembles slow convulsion but is named Summer-Wind (Shu Feng). It requires resolving Summer-Heat; do not recklessly administer convulsion remedies.
Yu Jiayan stated: "Convulsion" (Jing Feng) is a baseless fabrication of ancient times. Countless children have suffered from this misconception. Infants are born with insufficient Yin and pure Yang constitution. Due to Yin deficiency and Yang excess, internal heat easily generates, leading to Phlegm, then Wind, then Convulsion—this is common. Naming it "Convulsion" and listing eight postures is misleading. Children's pores are loose, making them susceptible to Cold pathogens. Cold enters via the Taiyang Meridian, which starts at the inner canthus, goes up to the vertex, enters the brain, descends the neck, along the spine to the waist. Disease manifests as stiff sinews and muscles, jerking, spasms, and opisthotonos. Using mineral drugs, Borneol, and Musk to open orifices and suppress spirits drives pathogens deeper into Zang-Fu, resulting in death. Relying on the false notion that "children under eight do not suffer Cold Damage," they created a separate category for Convulsion. In reality, children cannot tolerate Cold Damage well; upon entering the Taiyang stage, they immediately exhibit stiffness, sweating, muscle twitching, and coma. Pathology is critical; reckless herbal administration leads to rapid decline. Thus, claiming children don't get Cold Damage is wrong. Children are prone to external contraction, making Cold Damage very common; what is wrongly called Convulsion is actually Cold Damage. Therefore, curing pediatric Cold Damage within three days is crucial. Once it transmits meridians, treatment becomes difficult. Regarding Cold Damage categories, Gang Jing (Rigid Spasm) has no sweat, Rou Jing (Soft Spasm) has sweat. Children rarely have Gang Jing but often have Rou Jing. Doctors seeing profuse sweating and coma diagnose Slow Convulsion and misuse Ginseng, Atractylodes, and Aconite, closing pores and trapping Heat, which is harmful, though less so than mineral drugs. When treating pediatric heat, one must assess root deficiency/excess and pathogen severity, distinguishing Yin/Yang and Exterior/Interior. One must expel pathogens outward, not allow them to enter inward. Zhang Zhongjing provided methods using Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction). Abandoning this for Li Dongyuan's Internal Injury theories causes significant error, requiring detailed analysis.