夏禹铸曰∶小儿发惊而村妇庸夫,多以铁针于儿手挑筋破肉,噫,异矣。此丧心之村妇、
觅食之庸夫,不知惊之为惊,而误认为筋骨之筋也。盖惊者惊吓也,由儿先有内伤复来外感
,肺窍痰迷,心无所主,一着惊而即发也,若不豁痰以疗惊,祛风以止掣,只把手筋挑断以
免筋抽,不犹之止儿之啼而惟塞其口耶。况惊属心,筋属肝,若挑筋以治惊,便与明纪上有云,
女婿牙疼灸岳母的脚后跟又何有异。推前人所称,蛇丝、马蹄、鲫鱼、乌鸦等惊名之意,无非
为后之痴人立其名色,告以病表,使易识耳。因儿舌吐出如蛇舌,遂以蛇丝惊名。儿手足撑
踢如马蹄,遂以马蹄惊名。儿口动如鱼吮水,遂以鲫鱼惊名。儿身黑如乌鸦,遂以乌鸦惊名
。如执此以治惊,则当用雄黄以治蛇丝,绊马绳以治马蹄,香饵以治鲫鱼,穿杨箭以治乌鸦
,方为中病之药。然筋亦有时而抽者何,盖筋属于肝,血行于筋,气以行血,肝有贼邪,则气血
与贼邪交战而不行,以致筋受风邪而抽掣耳,故豁痰以疗惊,祛风以止掣,乃莫破之理。余
妙法备传,较之玉宫紫府之仙方,枯木回春之造化,不相轩轾。凡我同人,万不可以蛇丝诸
诡名,执为正论垂之,以杀有冤莫诉之婴儿也。
夏禹铸曰∶惊生于心,痰生于脾,风生于肝,热出于肺,此一定之理也。热盛生风,风
盛生痰,痰盛生惊,此贼邪逆克必至之势。疗惊必先豁痰,豁痰必先祛风,祛风必先解热,
而解热又以何者为先乎?肺主皮毛,皮毛为贼邪入内之门户,彼风、寒、暑、湿、燥、火六
邪之来,皮毛受之即入犯乎肺,肺本出热地也,燥火暑邪一入,则热与热根据而热盛;风寒湿
邪一入,肺窍为之闭塞,则热无所泄而热亦盛。若解热必先祛邪,前书上只云解热,并未说
到祛邪,今以祛邪之法详之,一用拿,一用推,一用灯火,一用灸,一用药。
Xia Yuzhu said: When infants suffer from Jing (Fright/Convulsion), village women and mediocre practitioners often use iron needles to pierce the skin and cut the tendons on the child's hands. Alas, how bizarre! These heartless village women and those pretending madness for food do not understand that "Jing" refers to fright-induced pathology, mistakenly identifying it with the physical "tendons" (sinews) of bones and muscles. Jing is caused by fright; it occurs when a child, already suffering from internal injury, contracts an external pathogen. Phlegm obstructs the lung orifices, and the Heart-Shen (Heart Spirit) loses its mastery. Upon being frightened, the condition immediately manifests. If one does not resolve phlegm to treat Jing, and dispel wind to stop convulsions, but merely cuts the hand tendons to prevent spasms, is this not akin to stopping a child's crying by simply plugging their mouth? Moreover, Jing belongs to the Heart, while tendons belong to the Liver. Using tendon-cutting to treat Jing is no different from the absurdity mentioned in Ming dynasty records: "A son-in-law treating his toothache by moxibustion on his mother-in-law's heel."
Regarding the names previously attributed by predecessors—such as Snake-Thread Jing, Horse-Hoof Jing, Crucian Carp Jing, and Crow Jing—their intent was merely to establish labels for later ignorant people, describing the clinical manifestations to facilitate recognition. For instance, if a child's tongue protrudes like a snake's tongue, it is named Snake-Thread Jing; if the limbs extend and kick like horse hooves, it is named Horse-Hoof Jing; if the mouth moves like a fish sucking water, it is named Crucian Carp Jing; if the body turns black like a crow, it is named Crow Jing. If one were to treat Jing based on these names, one would have to use Realgar (Xionghuang) for Snake-Thread Jing, horse-traps for Horse-Hoof Jing, bait for Crucian Carp Jing, and arrows for piercing willows for Crow Jing, which would indeed be the appropriate remedies.
However, why do tendons sometimes spasm? This is because tendons are governed by the Liver. Blood circulates within the tendons, and Qi moves the blood. When the Liver is invaded by "Zei-Xie" (robber pathogens/pathogenic factors), Qi and Blood engage in battle with these pathogens and fail to circulate normally. Consequently, the tendons are affected by Wind pathogen, leading to spasms. Therefore, resolving phlegm to treat Jing and dispelling wind to stop spasms is an unbreakable principle. My profound methods are fully transmitted here; they are not inferior to the immortal prescriptions of the Jade Palace and Purple Mansion, nor to the miraculous revival of dead wood. All my colleagues must never pass down these bizarre names like Snake-Thread Jing as orthodox theories, thereby killing innocent infants who have no one to appeal to.
Xia Yuzhu said: Jing arises from the Heart, Phlegm from the Spleen, Wind from the Liver, and Heat from the Lung. This is a fixed principle. Excessive Heat generates Wind; excessive Wind generates Phlegm; excessive Phlegm generates Jing. This is the inevitable trend of pathological counter-restriction (Wu Xing侮). To treat Jing, one must first resolve Phlegm; to resolve Phlegm, one must first dispel Wind; to dispel Wind, one must first clear Heat. But what should take precedence in clearing Heat? The Lung governs the skin and hair, which serve as the gateway for pathogens to enter internally. When the six excesses (Wind, Cold, Summerheat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire) attack, the skin and hair absorb them, allowing them to invade the Lung. The Lung is naturally a source of heat; when Dryness, Fire, or Summerheat enter, heat combines with heat, causing intense heat. When Wind, Cold, or Dampness enter, the lung orifices become blocked, preventing heat from dissipating, thus also causing intense heat. To clear heat, one must first expel pathogens. Previous texts only mention clearing heat without detailing how to expel pathogens. I now detail the methods of expelling pathogens: one is the grasping method (Na), one is the pushing method (Tui), one is the lamp-fire therapy, one is moxibustion, and one is herbal medicine.