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A female servant, aged thirty, had suffered from plague (epidemic febrile disease) for over a month. Her condition relapsed due to fatigue or improper diet. Currently, she presented with fever, cough, pain in the chest and hypochondrium, deafness, thirst, constipation for seven to eight days, and unconsciousness. I prescribed Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix) and Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum), each 3 qian; Gua Lou (Trichosanthis Fructus), Jie Geng (Platycodonis Radix), and Zhi Ke (Aurantii Fructus), each 1.5 qian; Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix) and Qian Hu (Peucedani Radix), each 1 qian; Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthis Radix), 8 fen; Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), 5 fen; and Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), 8 fen. The decoction was prepared urgently and administered. Her consciousness slightly cleared. Since her bowels remained unopened, on the next day, Da Chai Hu Tang (Major Bupleurum Decoction) was used to purge the bowels. On the third day, although her bowels moved, the fever persisted. The prescription was changed to Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix), 2 qian; Bai Shao Yao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), and Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogonis Radix), each 1 qian; Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthis Radix), Fu Ling (Poria), and Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), each 6 fen. After four doses, she recovered.

Cheng Fangtang, a military commissioner, aged sixty-four, had previously taken excessive warm-tonifying herbs to tonify the lower jiao yuan qi. One winter day, wearing only thin trousers while standing by a stream supervising construction work, he contracted cold, resulting in bone and tendon pain. The Jian Jing (GB21), Que Pen (Clavicular fossa), legs, knees, heels, ankles, elbows, posterior palms, and all movable joints became red, swollen, and painful. He had been bedridden for three years. Doctors in Wuzhong, Zhao Shi, diagnosed it as deficiency and prescribed Hu Qian Wan (Tiger Hiding Pill); doctors in Wobohai diagnosed it as cold and used large amounts of Fu Zi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata), Rou Gui (Cinnamomi Cortex), and Lu Rong (Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum). Xu Donggao attributed it to dampness; Dr. Zhou to blood deficiency; Zhang Jia to wind; Li Yi to Li Jie disease (a type of arthralgia with joint deformity). Various treatments failed. The muscles between the thighs were completely wasted, while only the joints remained swollen and painful. I happened to be staying at Cheng Daowu’s residence and was invited to consult. His pulse was wiry, choppy, and forceful. I determined that the pathogenic heat-dampness, phlegm, and fire were congealed and obstructed by cold qi within the meridians. The previous prescriptions were incorrect, causing the disease to worsen daily. Fortunately, his spirit in the eyes remained intact, and his stomach qi was not entirely depleted. However, his urine was turbid; when placed in a clay pot for a short time, it precipitated into reddish, turbid sand-like deposits. Large sores appeared below both knees and on the toes, with crusts resembling boot nails. These symptoms resulted from his habitual intake of warm-tonifying formulas. Although the illness was chronic and he was elderly, it was still an excess-type disease. It should not be abandoned due to advanced age and chronicity. Therefore, I first focused on expelling the stagnation in the meridians, then strengthened the spleen and resolved phlegm to prevent new phlegm formation, allowing qi and blood to grow daily, and finally used tonifying agents to conclude treatment. Mr. Cheng loved tonification and feared purgation, so visiting physicians tended to cater to this preference. I acted contrary to this. I took one jin of fresh Wei Ling Xian (Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma), placed it in a new bamboo tube, added two jin of distilled liquor, sealed the tube, scraped off the outer green skin, and boiled it in water until three incense sticks had burned down. The herb was removed, dried, and powdered. Bamboo juice (Zhu Li) was used to make paste for pills, sized like paulownia seeds. Taken with wine morning and evening, one qian per dose, twice daily. After five days, half a bucket of thick, sticky phlegm accumulation was discharged via stool, and swelling and pain decreased significantly. The prescription was changed to a decoction containing Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix), Shi Hu (Dendrobii Caulis), Cang Zhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma), Huang Bo (Phellodendri Cortex), Yi Yi Ren (Coicis Semen), Cang Er Zi (Xanthii Fructus), Niu Xi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix), Wu Yao Ye (Linderae Folium), Gui Ban (Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum), Hong Hua (Carthami Flos), Xi Jiao Xie (Rhinocerotis Cornu - *Note: Substitute with Buffalo Horn in modern practice*), and Mu Tong (Akebiae Caulis). Twenty doses were taken, along with the previous powder for three days, discharging another half-bucket of phlegm. The decoction continued for half a month, followed by three more days of the powder. Abdominal phlegm gradually decreased. Then, I prepared pills using Hu Gu (Pantheris Os - *Note: Substitute with legal alternatives*), Wan Can Sha (Bombyx Batryticatus), Cang Zhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma), Huang Bo (Phellodendri Cortex), Dan Shen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix), Du Niu Xi (Cyathulae Radix stems and leaves), Yi Yi Ren (Coicis Semen), Hong Hua (Carthami Flos), Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanacis Cortex), Cang Er Zi (Xanthii Fructus), and Gui Ban (Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum) soaked in liquor, bound with wheat flour paste into pills sized like paulownia seeds. Taken on an empty stomach with plain water, 70-80 pills per dose. Additionally, Bao He Wan (Harmony-Preserving Pill) by Danxi was taken after meals for half a year. He fully recovered, leg muscles returned to normal, and walking ability was restored.