Library

Liu Zoudao was the younger cousin of Mr Caocang. A fisherman accidentally swallowed a fishing hook. Liu Zoudao instructed someone to melt wax into a pill, thread it down along the line. Since the sharp hook pierced into the wax, it could be pulled out immediately upon retrieval.

During the Xianping era, Duke Wei was serving in Tanzhou. A young member of his family accidentally swallowed a fishing hook while playing. It got stuck in the throat; when hastily pulled, the hook embedded in the flesh and could not be removed. Duke Wei was terrified. At that time, there was a craftsman named Mo Douliao, who was very ingenious. He cut a piece of silkworm cocoon into a coin-sized round shape, softened the edges by hand rubbing, lubricated it with oil, and left a hole in the center. First, the fishing line was threaded through, followed by three or five large Buddhist prayer beads. The child was made to sit upright with mouth open. Gradually, additional beads were added. When the beads reached the throat and touched the area where the hook was tied, a forceful downward push caused the hook to detach. It was then quickly pulled upward. The cocoon piece wrapped around the hook line and barb downwards, bringing them out without any injury.

An eight-year-old girl surnamed Zhang held her mother's gold hairpin (Jinqiangzi) in her mouth to pick her teeth and accidentally swallowed it. She suffered unbearable pain in the chest and diaphragm and was panicked and helpless. A silversmith administered three qian of sheep tibia charcoal mixed with rice water decoction. The next day, it was passed in the stool.

The son of the Wang family was just one year old. His mother gave him an iron nail to play with, which he accidentally put in his mouth and swallowed into the throat. His father cried out for help. Zhang Jingyue went to examine him and saw the mother holding the child upside down by the feet, hoping the nail would come out, resulting in blood from the mouth and nose, a critical situation. Zhang advised, "Is there any method where hanging upside down can extract the nail without endangering life?" He urgently ordered the child to be held upright, and the child began to cry. This indicated the nail had already been swallowed and was no longer in the throat. The father pleaded, "How can such delicate organs withstand this?" begging earnestly. Zhang Jingyue had no idea what to do, so he casually consulted the Materia Medica hoping for inspiration. He saw recorded: "Iron fears Mirabilite." Thus, he devised a plan: using one qian of living lodestone and two qian of Mirabilite, both ground into powder, mixed with boiled lard and honey, and given to swallow. At midnight (third watch), an object was suddenly excreted, the size of a taro root, crystal clear like cabbage leaves, smooth and edgeless. The medicine protected the outside; upon inspection, the nail was inside. It was a mushroom-shaped nail used for shoe-making in Beijing. Presumably, Mirabilite alone cannot make the medicine adhere to the nail, nor can lodestone alone rapidly expel the nail without Mirabilite. Without oil, there is no lubrication; without honey, swallowing might not occur. Combining these four elements, the adhering agent adheres, the expelling agent expels, the lubricant lubricates; they work together to wrap and protect the nail during expulsion.

Jiang Yingsu treated a man who, due to legal trouble, swallowed two qian of gold. He felt mentally confused and helpless. Shortly after, the case was resolved, and seeking survival, he invited Jiang Yingsu for treatment. The patient had cold limbs and deep, hidden pulses. Having no solution, Jiang recalled that silversmiths use Borax to smelt gold, as Borax can restrain gold. He urgently purchased four qian, ground it into powder, formed pills with porridge, and administered in two doses. Soon after, a Chengqi Tang decoction was prepared to induce purgation. The Borax-wrapped gold was expelled via the stool, and the patient recovered.

Jiang also recorded that for those who have drowned or ingested gold dust but are not yet dead,灌ing duck blood can save their lives.