Library

On the third day after birth, take tender branches of mulberry, locust tree, elm, peach, and willow trees. Cut each to three cun in length, using twenty to thirty segments, and decoct them in water. Adjust the temperature to be suitable, add two or three pig gallbladders, and bathe the infant. Using pig gallbladder and Motherwort Herba (Yimucao) in the bathwater prevents sores and scabies. Adding gold, silver, tiger head bone, Moschus (Shexiang), and Cinnabar (Dansha) wards off evil qi, Ke Wu (external pathogenic invasion), and convulsions. Adding peach, plum, apricot, and paper mulberry root leaves, which must be boiled in the water, resolves febrile diseases with high fever. The water temperature should be neither cold nor hot; bathe in a windless, closed room, and do not prolong the time. After bathing, massage the body with powder, or use Guang Fen (refined talc) or Concha Tridacnae (Bangfen) to dust the body for warding off evil spirits, which is auspicious. According to *Ji Yong Jing*, the days of Yin, Mao, and You are auspicious, while Ren Wu, Ding Wei, and Gui Si are inauspicious; one should not bathe on the first three days nor violate the last three days. (Bathing is performed on the 3rd, 5th, and 7th days after birth.) When bathing infants, do not cut the umbilical cord first; wait until after washing to cut it, preventing water and dampness from injuring the navel, thereby avoiding conditions such as Umbilical Wind (Neonatal Tetanus) and Umbilical Sores. Apply hair ash mixed with clear oil to the navel. Do not wet the umbilical cord with water during bathing.

*Qianjin Fang* states: The umbilical cord must not be cut with a knife. It should be bitten through while separated by a single layer of clothing, then blown upon seven times with warm breath, and finally tied. The remaining cord should be severed at the level of the infant's instep. There are often worms in the severed end and within the cord; these must be promptly removed, otherwise they may enter the navel and cause disease. The umbilical cord should be six cun long; if too long, it injures the muscles; if too short, it injures the viscera. If not cut in time and the fluid is not completely drained, the warm breath gradually diminishes, leading to coldness and causing Umbilical Wind. *Bao Jian* discusses: If scissors are used to cut the cord, they should first be warmed in the chest. Furthermore, if water enters the navel, it often causes Tian Diao (a neonatal spasmodic disorder), resulting in painful crying and a cyanotic-black complexion. Injury to the navel causes it to remain moist for a long time. Exposure to external wind leads to trismus (lockjaw), which is incurable.

*Shenghui Fang* states: One night after birth, hold the infant near a bright, windless place. Observe if there are red vessels extending straight up from the navel. If so, moxaibustion should be applied three times (three moxa cones) at the end of the vessel. Once the redness dissipates, there will be no harm.

*Qianjin Fang* discusses: Treat by using white silk gauze made soft, four cun square, with half a cun thickness of new cotton wool, layered equally with the silk to wrap the navel. Adjust the tightness appropriately. If too tight, vomiting occurs, and it should be removed after twenty days. If the infant cries angrily for more than ten days, there may be a thorn in the clothing or dryness of the navel irritating the abdomen; in such cases, re-wrap the navel. In winter, doors and windows must be closed, curtains lowered, and a fire lit to keep the room warm; this applies similarly when changing clothes. Still, apply warm powder to the area.