砧(即丈夫)远出,妇病如狂,似属七情中病,而亦有不尽然者。
陈氏妇,患此月余,巫医屡易,所费既巨,厥疾日增。孟英切其脉,弦而数。能食便行,气每上冲,腹时痛胀。
询其月事,云∶病起汛后,继多白带。孟英曰∶病因如是,而昼则明了,夜多妄言,酷似热入血室之候,径从瘀血治
之可也。与∶桃仁 红花 犀角 菖蒲 胆星 旋复 赭石 丹参 琥珀 葱白之剂,两服而瘀血果行,神情爽慧。
继去桃仁、红花,加当归、元参,服数剂而瘳。
周光远妻,因悲郁而患崩漏,面黄腹胀,寝食皆废。孟英用∶龟板 海螵蛸 女贞 旱莲 贝母 柏叶 青
蒿白薇 小麦 茯苓 藕肉 莲子心而康。
一妇女,患带下腰痛,足心如烙,不能移步。孟英投大剂甘露饮而瘳。
叶承恩室,怀孕患感,昏谵不语,喜呕,便秘,汗出不解,脉涩,口干。乃营阴素亏,邪热内炽。以∶元参 石
膏知(母) (黄)芩 (竹)茹 贝(母) 银花 枇(杷)叶 (白)薇 栀(子) 楝(实) (石)斛,
投数剂而愈。
夏氏妇,怀孕患感。医投温散,渐至气冲不寐,时欲痉厥,脘闷呻吟,渴难受饮。所亲张养之延孟英诊之,脉
滑数而溢。与小陷胸(汤)加旋(复)、薤(白)、石膏、知(母)、栀(子)、(竹)茹、杏(仁)、腹皮、
苏子、竹沥、海 ,大剂投之,旬日而愈。
《仁术志》者,海丰张君柳吟所题孟英之医案也。吾师赵菊斋先生,暨庄舍人芝阶为之序,余以未与其事,深以
为歉。秋间,偶过孟英,适有陈姓者牵羊来谢,孟英颇疑之。其人曰∶三月间,次媳患时感,而气逆不能眠,医皆
畏却,特延君(指王氏)诊,甫按脉。云∶“甚滑疾,是为娠象”,用药必须顾及。此时次媳方于去秋娩后,月事尚
未一行,君为此言,阖(读音合,作全字解)家未尝不窃笑也。迨疾渐平,哺儿之乳亦不觉少,虽自问亦断断非
妊。至六月间,腹渐胀,方谓有病,不料昨日倏(读音抒,作忽然解)产一孙。举家敬服高明,故来致谢耳!
孟英因谓余曰∶昨诊魏子恒之室,亦妊也,诸医作虚损治,脉虽虚微软数,而滑象仍形,病家深不以吾言为然
者。缘病患之女兄二人,皆死于虚劳也。然其伯仲(指病者姊妹)之证,吾皆诊焉,今已十余年矣。犹忆(其)
伯,字于关氏,未嫁而卒,证非不治,亦为药误。病中阅吾方案,极为折
服。且曰∶先生来暮,根据不起矣。前此延致诸名家,徒曰
虚证宜补,而不治其所以虚,(处)方则群聚补药,必以地黄为之冠,虽有参、 ,亦列于后。即使用药不乖,
而阳生阴长,气为血帅之旨,尚未分晓,况其他乎?吾闻而愕然,何以闺中女子,亦解谈医?细询,始知为乾隆间
名医吴颖昭先生之女孙也,尤为惋惜。仲(指其妹)适于陈少帘少府,的系损证,若季(第三妹)者,因其家怀
“先入”之见,遂致医人迎合误事,岂不可叹?迨仲秋,果闻魏氏分娩,母子皆亡,方叹孟英之卓见为不可及也。爰
采秋冬诸案之治法不同证寻常者,而续成一卷云。
钱氏妇,怀孕四月而患寒热如疟,医与发散安胎,乃至舌黑神昏,大渴便泻,臭痰顿(频)吐,腰腹痛坠,人皆
不能措手。孟英诊曰∶伏暑失于清解,舌虽黑而脉形滑数,痰虽臭而气息调和,是胎尚未坏,犹可治也。重用气血两
清之药,五剂而安。糜粥渐进,腰腹皆舒,胎亦跃跃。
徐氏妇,重身(妇人怀妊曰重身)而患四肢疼痛,不可屈伸,药之罔效。或疑为瘫痪。任殿华令其舍专科而
质于孟英,诊曰∶暑热入于隧络耳,吾室人曾患此。予以∶桑枝 竹叶 扁豆叶 丝瓜络 羚羊角 豆卷 知母
黄芩 白薇 栀子,照方服之,果即得愈。
When the husband (Zhen, i.e., husband) is away for a long time, and the woman falls ill with symptoms resembling madness, it may seem to belong to diseases caused by the Seven Emotions (Qing, emotional factors), but this is not always the case.
Madam Chen suffered from this condition for over a month. The cost of consulting various shamans and physicians was enormous, yet her illness worsened daily. Mengying palpated her pulse, which was wiry (Xian) and rapid (Shu). She could eat normally and had regular bowel movements, but Qi often rushed upward, and her abdomen frequently felt painful and distended.
Upon inquiring about her menstrual history, she reported that the illness began after her period, followed by excessive leukorrhea. Mengying said, "Given these causes, although she is lucid during the day, she speaks deliriously at night. This closely resembles the syndrome of Heat Entering the Blood Chamber (Re Ru Xue Shi). It is appropriate to treat it directly as blood stasis." He prescribed a decoction containing Tao Ren (Peach Seed), Hong Hua (Safflower), Xi Jiao (Rhinoceros Horn), Chang Pu (Acorus Rhizome), Dan Xing (Arisaema Cum Bile), Xuan Fu Hua (Inula Flower), Zhe Shi (Hematite), Dan Shen (Salvia Root), Hu Po (Amber), and Cong Bai (Scallion White). After two doses, the blood stasis was indeed expelled, and her mental state became clear and bright.
Subsequently, Tao Ren and Hong Hua were removed, and Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis) and Yuan Shen (Scrophularia Root) were added. After several doses, she recovered.
The wife of Zhou Guangyuan suffered from metrorrhagia (Beng Lou) due to grief and depression. Her face was sallow, her abdomen distended, and both sleep and appetite were lost. Mengying prescribed Gui Ban (Tortoise Shell), Hai Piao Xiao (Cuttlefish Bone), Nv Zhen Zi (Ligustrum Fruit), Han Lian Cao (Eclipta Herb), Bei Mu (Fritillaria Bulb), Bai Ye (Cacumen Platycladi), Qing Hao (Artemisia Annua), Bai Wei (Cynanchum Atratum), Xiao Mai (Wheat), Fu Ling (Poria), Ou Rou (Lotus Flesh), and Lian Zi Xin (Plumule Nelumbinis), and she recovered.
A certain woman suffered from leukorrhea and lower back pain, with soles of her feet feeling like burning irons, making it impossible for her to take steps. Mengying administered a large dose of Gan Lu Yin (Sweet Dew Decoction), and she recovered.
The wife of Ye Cheng'en contracted an external pathogen while pregnant. She experienced coma, delirium, muteness, frequent vomiting, constipation, sweating without relief, a choppy (Se) pulse, and dry mouth. This indicated a constitutional deficiency of Ying-Yin (Nutritive Yin) and intense internal blazing of pathogenic heat. He prescribed Yuan Shen (Scrophularia Root), Shi Gao (Gypsum), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), Huang Qin (Scutellaria Root), Zhu Ru (Bamboo Shavings), Bei Mu (Fritillaria Bulb), Yin Hua (Chrysanthemum Flos), Pi Pa Ye (Loquat Leaf), Bai Wei (Cynanchum Atratum), Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit), Liang Zi (Melia Fruit), and Shi Hu (Dendrobium Stem). After several doses, she was cured.
Madam Xia contracted an external pathogen while pregnant. Physicians administered warm-dispersing formulas, leading gradually to rushing Qi, insomnia, occasional spasms and syncope, epigastric fullness with groaning, and unbearable thirst despite difficulty drinking. Her relative, Zhang Yangzhi, invited Mengying to diagnose her. Her pulse was slippery (Hua), rapid (Shu), and overflowing (Yi). Mengying prescribed Xiao Xian Xiong Tang (Minor Chest-Harmonizing Decoction) modified with Xuan Fu Hua (Inula Flower), Xie Bai (Allium Macrostemon Bulb), Shi Gao (Gypsum), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit), Zhu Ru (Bamboo Shavings), Xing Ren (Apricot Seed), Fu Pi (Pericarpium Arecae Catalpae), Su Zi (Perilla Fruit), Zhu Li (Bamboo Sap), and Hai Zao (Sargassum Thallus), administered in a large dose. She recovered within ten days.
"Ren Shu Zhi" (Records of Benevolent Arts) refers to the medical cases of Mengying annotated by Mr. Liu Yin of Haifeng. My teacher, Mr. Zhao Juzhai, and Scholar Zhuang Zhijie wrote prefaces for them. I deeply regretted not being involved in this matter. In autumn, I happened to visit Mengying when a man surnamed Chen came to thank him with a sheep. Mengying was somewhat suspicious. The man said, "In March, my second daughter-in-law suffered from a seasonal pathogen, with rebellious Qi preventing sleep. All physicians were afraid to treat her, so we specifically invited you (referring to Wang) to diagnose. As soon as you palpated her pulse, you said, 'Very slippery and rapid; this is a sign of pregnancy.' You advised that medication must take this into account. At that time, our second daughter-in-law had just given birth last autumn, and her menstruation had not yet resumed. When you spoke thus, the whole family secretly laughed. However, as her illness gradually subsided, her milk supply for nursing did not seem to decrease. Even she firmly denied being pregnant. By June, her abdomen gradually distended, and she thought she was ill. Unexpectedly, yesterday she suddenly gave birth to a grandson. The entire family respects your profound insight, hence coming to express gratitude!"
Mengying then told me, "Yesterday I diagnosed the wife of Wei Ziheng, who was also pregnant. All other physicians treated her as a deficiency-wasting disease. Although her pulse was deficient, soft, and rapid, the slippery image was still present. The patient's family deeply disagreed with my words because her two elder sisters had both died of consumptive disease (Xu Lao). However, I had diagnosed all three sisters more than ten years ago. I still remember the eldest, married to the Guan family, who died unmarried. Her condition was not untreatable but was mishandled by medicine. During her illness, she read my case records and was thoroughly convinced. She even said, 'If Master comes late, I will not be able to rise again.' Previous famous doctors merely stated that deficiency syndromes should be tonified, but they did not address the root cause of the deficiency. Their prescriptions gathered tonifying herbs, with Di Huang (Rehmannia Root) taking precedence. Even if Shen (Ginseng) and [missing character] were used, they were listed later. Even if the medication was not entirely wrong, the principles of 'Yang generates Yin' and 'Qi is the commander of Blood' were not understood, let alone other aspects? I was astonished upon hearing this. How does a young woman understand discussing medicine? Upon detailed inquiry, I learned she was the granddaughter of Mr. Wu Yingzhao, a famous physician during the Qianlong reign, which made me especially regretful. The second sister married Vice-Prefect Chen Shaolian and indeed suffered from a wasting syndrome. As for the third sister, due to the family's preconceived notions, the physician catered to them, causing errors. Is this not lamentable? By mid-autumn, I indeed heard that Mrs. Wei died in childbirth, along with her child. Only then did I sigh that Mengying's profound insight was unsurpassable. Therefore, I collected various cases from autumn and winter where the treatment methods differed from ordinary conditions, and continued this volume."
Madam Qian, four months pregnant, suffered from alternating chills and fever resembling malaria. Physicians administered dispersing and fetal-anchoring medicines, leading to a black tongue, coma, extreme thirst, diarrhea, frequent expectoration of foul-smelling phlegm, and lower back/abdominal pain with bearing-down sensation. No one knew how to handle the case. Mengying diagnosed, "Summer-heat hidden within failed to be cleared and resolved. Although the tongue is black, the pulse is slippery and rapid. Although the phlegm is foul, the breath is harmonious. Thus, the fetus is not yet damaged, and it is still treatable." He heavily used herbs that simultaneously clear Qi and Blood levels. After five doses, she stabilized. Porridge was gradually introduced, her waist and abdomen relaxed, and the fetus moved vigorously.
Madam Xu, while pregnant (Zhong Shen), suffered from pain in the four limbs, unable to flex or extend. Medications were ineffective. Some suspected paralysis. Ren Dianhua advised her to abandon specialized treatment and consult Mengying. Mengying diagnosed, "This is summer-heat entering the collaterals. My own household member once suffered from this." He prescribed Sang Zhi (Mulberry Twig), Zhu Ye (Bamboo Leaf), Bian Dou Ye (Lablab Leaf), Si Gua Luo (Luffa Fiber), Ling Yang Jiao (Antelope Horn), Dou Juan (Fermented Soybean), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), Huang Qin (Scutellaria Root), Bai Wei (Cynanchum Atratum), and Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit). Following the prescription, she recovered immediately.