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Zang Gong Jinghan, the magistrate of Jinxian County, brought his mother, the Lady Tai, to me for treatment. During the late spring season, while celebrating her birthday, she had watched over twenty plays and consumed a large amount of fish, shrimp, and crab. She suddenly developed alternating chills and fever (Han Re) that did not subside after three days. On the fourth day, the areas around the left ear and the Jiache acupoint became red and swollen. By the fifth day, the right side also swelled. On the sixth day, the swelling spread to the entire head; it was as red and large as a dou (a unit of volume), with eyes closed so tightly there were no gaps. She fell into a coma, lost consciousness, spoke deliriously as if possessed by evil spirits, and had eaten nothing for eight days. The whole family was panicked and urgently summoned me. Upon palpating her pulse, all six positions were surging, long, and rapid. I said: This is Datou Yi (Big Head Epidemic). I immediately prescribed Guanzhong (Scrophulariae Radix) and Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum), each 6 qian; Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix) and Gegen (Puerariae Lobatae Radix), each 3 qian; Chi Shaoyao (Paeoniae Radix Rubra) and Tianhuafen (Trichosanthis Radix), each 2 qian; Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) 1 qian; and 49 Heidou (Sojae Semen Nigrum). Decocted in water and taken orally. After taking two doses per day, the pulse began to halve in force. By the ninth day, she could only drink half a cup of thin porridge. Removing the Shigao from the previous prescription, she took four more doses before stabilizing. During this illness, everyone considered my situation dangerous, saying that at eighty years old, having fasted for eight days, with a head swollen like a dou, body heat like burning charcoal, and delirious coma, one should not stay and treat but leave immediately. Why act blindly without stopping! Her son-in-law, Min Huaihai, also said that given the severity of the illness, he too felt anxious and doubtful. However, seeing Mr. Sun acting leisurely and sleeping and eating well, he found some comfort. I replied: This disease is caused by the accumulation of heat in the Yangming and Shaoyang meridians. The Yangming meridian is rich in qi and blood. Due to her advanced age, I dared not use harsh purgatives like Xiaokunxiao (Natrii Sulfas) or Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma). Instead, I used light and clear dispersing agents to resolve the condition through slight sweating. When symptoms and pulse correspond, even severe cases can be cured. If people argue that an elderly patient in critical condition should be abandoned and untreated, this would not only violate the physician's intent to save lives but also betray the trust placed in us by the family. How could this be acceptable?

In the summer of Bing Shen year, Pan Jiansuo visited me at the Haiyang county residence. It had rained continuously for ten days, causing floodwaters in the market area. When Mr. Pan arrived, I asked in surprise: You are of noble status; how can you endure this? Mr. Pan replied: It has been a long time since we last met. My father's mourning period has ended, and I am scheduled to travel north in autumn, though my reassignment south is uncertain. I came specifically to seek your diagnosis; what else matters? I asked about his ailment. He said: Nothing serious, merely feeling slight impotence (Yang Wei) now that I have just passed fifty. The next morning, after finishing the consultation, I told his attendant, Yu Jin: Your master's pulse is excess above and deficiency below. Excess above indicates phlegm and fire; deficiency below indicates weak essence and yuan qi. He must strictly abstain from sexual activity and guard against anger. The treatment should clear the upper and tonify the lower. Otherwise, within three years, stroke (Zhong Feng) is inevitable. This is because phlegm generates heat, and heat generates wind. Please remember this carefully. I then formulated a prescription. After parting, Mr. Pan did not have the time to prepare the medicine. In August of the following year, Mr. Pan traveled back and forth to Wulin (Hangzhou), experiencing fatigue and anger. Coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, he indulged in wine and women for consecutive nights. Normally, after sexual intercourse, he would take Lujiaojiao (Colla Cornu Cervi Gelatinum) 3 qian and Renshen (Ginseng Radix) 1 qian, washed down with wine. Because he violated abstinence repeatedly, he increased the dosage to Lujiaojiao 5 qian and Renshen 3 qian, taken on an empty stomach. On the evening of the 17th, while chatting poetry with friends at a banquet, his left hand suddenly trembled uncontrollably. Returning to his room, his left arm felt heavy and could not be lifted. By the morning of the 18th, the left side of his body, both hands and feet, were paralyzed. He urgently sent someone to fetch me. I happened to be at the Wu residence in Qianqiu. Upon my arrival, Mr. Pan was filled with surprise and joy, saying: How could you foresee this so accurately? Former Vice Minister suffered from paralysis on the left side and died three years later. Now I suffer from the same on the left side. Is it due to wind and water factors? However, the former Vice Minister was over seventy, whereas I am only forty-seven. The former Vice Minister did not meet you, but I am fortunate to have you; perhaps I can hope for recovery. Upon examination, his face was red, the mouth deviated slightly to the right, lips were numb, and limbs were drawn and stiff, indicating established paralysis. His pulse was wiry and large on the left, and slippery and large on the right. I first administered Yowao Shunqi San (Aucklandiae Radix Powder for Smooth Qi) one dose. After taking it, he slept deeply for half a day. Upon waking, his face appeared redder, and the mouth deviation worsened, confirming that excessive phlegm was the cause. I immediately prescribed Erchen Tang (Two-Cured Decoction) modified with Quanxie (Scorpio), Jiangcan (Bombyx Batryticatus), Tianma (Gastrodiae Rhizoma), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), Shichangpu (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma), Honghua (Carthami Flos), and Qinjiao (Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix), decocted in water. Just before administration, I added one small wine glass of Zhuli (Bambusae Caulis in Taenia) and five teaspoons of Shengjiangzhi (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens Juice). He took this twice daily. At night, he was also given Huoluo Dan (Meridian-Activating Pill). By the sixth day of medication, the tips of his fingers could move slightly, and he could stand holding onto an oar. I rejoiced, saying: The mechanism has turned! I changed the prescription to Guishao Liujunzi Tang (Angelica Sinensis and Paeonia lactiflora Six-Gentlemen Decoction), adding Honghua, Gouteng (Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis), Tianma, Zhuli, and Shengjiangzhi. After twenty doses, he could walk about twenty steps. His fingers, previously numb and insensitive to pain or itch, could now grasp objects. Subsequently, he took Tianma Wan (Gastrodia Pill) and Quanlu Wan (Whole Deer Pill) concurrently for one hundred days of regulation. Ninety percent of the illness was eliminated. In February of the next year, he traveled north to assume his post in Yongqing. Because Mr. Pan abstained from sex and alcohol after the illness and consciously nurtured his health, the medicinal effects were successful. This case demonstrates my consistent success in treating similar conditions. The key lies in first unblocking the meridians, invigorating blood, and regulating qi, followed by tonifying agents to conclude the treatment. Once the meridians are unblocked, old phlegm is ground away, and new phlegm does not form. What disease cannot be cured? This is the method for treating Lei Zhong Feng (Stroke-like Syndrome).