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Shao Shi Wu suddenly fell ill. Over the course of several months, his muscles wasted away. Whenever food and drink were swallowed, shortly thereafter his abdomen felt as if tens of thousands of insects were swarming and attacking, causing both itching and pain. Everyone believed it to be Lao Zhai (consumptive disease, similar to tuberculosis). Zhang Rui took his pulse and warned him: "Tomorrow morning, endure hunger; do not eat a single thing." Wu followed his instructions. At that time, it was the height of summer heat. Zhang Rui ordered someone to fetch one bowl of yellow earth from the road, pour two sheng of warm wine into it, stir well, and have Wu swallow the mixture. A short while later, he administered one hundred pills of Xuan Yao using this "earth-wine" as a vehicle. Immediately afterwards, severe pulling pain in the intestines and stomach ensued, followed by the profuse discharge of foul-smelling excrement, approximately one dou in volume. Among them were over a thousand leeches, coiled and knotted together, all exhausted and dead. Wu was also extremely debilitated; he lay down for a long time before consuming congee, and recovered after three days. Wu then recounted: "Last summer night, while leading troops, I suffered from thirst and dryness midway. I ordered a scout to fetch stream water with a bowl. As soon as it entered my mouth, I sensed an object but had no time to spit it out, so it went down my throat. Since then, I have been suffering from this illness." Zhang Rui said, "When insects enter the intestines and stomach, their influence gradually multiplies. On ordinary days when food is ingested, they gather around the Dantian field, sucking essence and blood. When full, they scatter and move about. If one only knows how to kill them but cannot sweep them all out, it is of no benefit. Therefore, I requested an empty stomach to lure them. These insects favor the taste of wine and have long lacked the taste of earth. Taking advantage of their hunger, they gathered in large numbers, allowing a single medicine to cleanse them completely."

Yu Zhen commented: Leeches are born in silt, so luring them with what they crave and then purging them downward is a clever method. However, some people expelled leeches after drinking water used for making indigo dye from Isatis root, which seems even simpler. Upon reading *Ling Lan Yao Lan*, an appendix recorded a case stating: "In my youth, upon seeing a leech, I was disgusted and vomited four times until it turned into water. Another day, seeing one, I dripped a spoonful of honey on it; it contracted and became immobile, eventually turning into water. Even after subsequent rainy weather, it did not revive. These two methods effectively control leeches. Yet, in the past, when someone swallowed a leech, physicians' treatments were extremely laborious and disruptive. It is a pity they did not know these methods. Judging by the account from Jintan, one might laugh at Chen Ziming's exaggeration. I believe that the use of honey pills in Didang Wan might indicate that Zhang Zhongjing anticipated this earlier."

A farmer in Jin Zhuang slept on the ground during a summer day. A centipede entered his mouth. Upon waking, he felt discomfort in his throat, as if obstructed by a foreign body; he could neither cough it out nor swallow it down. The pain and itching varied, causing great distress. A physician instructed him to break several eggs, mix them evenly with wine, and consume them in one dose. He was then given rhubarb powder mixed with sesame oil to drink. Within moments, he defecated, and the centipede was still alive. This was likely because the egg whites caused the centipede's legs to contract, preventing movement, and the purgative effect facilitated its expulsion via the large intestine. Chickens naturally prey on centipedes, reflecting the principle of mutual restraint.

A woman at a village shop was blowing fire with a bamboo tube, unaware that a centipede was hidden inside. Startled, it scurried into her throat and descended to her chest. Desperate for help, she found herself at a loss. Fortunately, a passing traveler advised her to slaughter a piglet, collect its blood, and have her drink it all at once. Shortly after, he poured a mouthful of raw oil into her mouth, inducing nausea. The centipede rolled in the blood and was vomited out. Subsequently, she was treated with finely ground realgar mixed with water, and she recovered.

A person suddenly suffered from headaches that came and went intermittently without a known cause. One day, just before noon mealtime, he fell asleep leaning on a desk. A plate of chicken meat happened to be nearby. In his dream, he sneezed suddenly and felt something exit through his nose. Upon inspection, it was a house centipede (*Scutigera coleoptrata*) on the chicken meat. Thereafter, his headaches ceased. House centipedes resemble centipedes but are thinner; they often enter human ears and may consume brain marrow. If the marrow is fully consumed, death ensues. They are common in northern regions.

[Appendix] A person had a house centipede enter his ear, causing unbearable itching and pain. He was cured by pouring raw oil into the ear.