【歌】十月婴儿初孕育,肌肤未实阴未足。正当生下未啼时,急以拭去胎液毒。黄连甘草朱蜜佳,免致
斑疮夭死速。五六日间脐未干,纵然炎热休频浴。但将故絮遮其身,下体单寒常露足。见些风日有何妨?月里
频啼才是福。胎毒胎热得以伸,热气随啼无蕴蓄。勿令过爱不置怀,免与新绵重被覆。昧者重绵尚恐寒,乳哺
不离犹恐哭。但见微风便感寒,才闻音响时惊愕。做出疾病不可言,所以富儿多命促。我尝谙此历验之,故此
子孙多易鞠。
【论】夫婴儿在胎,禀阴阳五行之气,以生脏腑、百骸、气血、筋脉,其形虽具,肌体未实,骨骼未成,
阳气既足,阴血未全,所以不可太饱暖以销其阴,此丹溪先生之大戒也。然儿在母腹中,必借母气血所养,故
母热则子热,母寒则子寒,母惊则子惊,母弱则子弱,所以有胎热、胎寒、胎惊之证。初生未啼时,口中尚有
恶汁,急令拭去,更用甘草、黄连、朱砂、蜜频与之,以解三秽液毒。不惟无惊、热之患,抑免痘疹之忧也。
月里常令啼哭,则胎中所受热毒从而散之,胎中惊气得而解之,则旬日之间,无重舌、木舌、口噤、胎风、胎
热、胎惊之病。断脐后,脐或方褪而尚未干燥,频浴之,则风湿侵入脐中,而有脐风、撮口之证。乳食
太多,则有吐乳、泄利、腹痛、痰涎、惊、疳、风、痫之证。绵衣太暖,则阴内销,使儿娇怯多病,略见些少
风寒,便易感冒,皆保重太过之所致也。所以贫儿坚劲无疾,富儿柔脆多夭者,譬之草木方生,以物覆盖紧密,
不令见风日雨露,则萎黄柔弱必矣。今之昧者,往往罹此而不能育养其子,后之子益加珍爱,尤悔前子之不饱
暖而死,竟不知其过爱而反害之也。呜呼,痛哉!
初生证
小儿初生下,口中尚含胎血,如有手快稳婆,随即以手斡退场门中血与宿汁,此是胎毒,用拭秽法。
有儿生下即死者,可看上 有泡,急以摘破,绵拭去血,血勿入喉即活。
小儿初生气绝,不能啼者,以绵衣包,勿断脐,将胞火上烧,仍将大纸捻蘸油,点灯烧脐带即活。
如生下二便不通者,急令人以汤漱口,吸咂儿前、后心及手、足心、脐下共七处,红赤为度。
拭秽法
预以甘草细切少许,临产时以绵裹沸汤泡盏内覆温。收生之际,以软绵裹指,蘸甘草汁拭其口。次用黄连
细切,沸汤泡良久,滤净,拭儿口中,吐去恶汁。更与朱砂一大豆许,细研,以蜜一蚬壳调匀,抹儿口,服之
非独镇心定魄,安神解毒,更能益肝胆,除烦热,辟邪气也。
[Verse]
The infant is conceived in the womb for ten months, with skin and flesh not yet solid and Yin Qi (Vital Energy) not yet sufficient. When the infant is just born and has not yet cried, hastily wipe away the toxic amniotic fluid. Using Coptis Rhizome (Huanglian), Licorice Root (Gancao), and Cinnabar Honey (Zhusha Mi) is excellent, preventing early death from macules and sores caused by fetal toxicity. Within five or six days, while the umbilical cord is not yet dry, do not bathe frequently even if it is hot. Simply cover the body with old cotton wadding; keep the lower body cool and barefoot. What harm is there in seeing some wind and sunlight? Frequent crying during the first month is a blessing. This allows fetal toxicity and heat to vent, dissipating heat through crying without accumulation. Do not spoil the child by keeping them constantly in your arms, avoiding covering them with new cotton and heavy quilts. Ignorant people fear cold even with heavy cotton, never leaving the breast, and still fearing the child will cry. They think any slight breeze causes cold, and any sound causes shock. The diseases resulting are countless; thus, children of wealthy families often have short lives. I have experienced and verified this repeatedly, therefore my descendants were mostly easy to raise.
[Discussion]
While in the womb, the infant receives the Qi of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements to generate Zang-Fu organs, bones, Qi and Blood, and sinews and vessels. Although the form is complete, the musculature is not solid, bones are not formed, Yang Qi is sufficient, but Yin Blood is incomplete. Therefore, one must not overfeed or overdress to avoid consuming Yin, which is the great warning of Master Danxi. However, while in the mother's womb, the infant relies on the mother's Qi and Blood for nourishment; thus, if the mother is hot, the child is hot; if the mother is cold, the child is cold; if the mother is startled, the child is startled; if the mother is weak, the child is weak. Hence, there are conditions of Fetal Heat, Fetal Cold, and Fetal Startle. When just born and before crying, there is foul fluid in the mouth; it must be wiped away immediately, and then Liquorice Root (Gancao), Coptis Rhizome (Huanglian), Cinnabar (Zhusha), and Honey should be given frequently to resolve the toxicity of the three impurities. This not only prevents startle and heat complications but also avoids worries about smallpox and rashes. Allowing the child to cry frequently during the first month disperses the heat-toxicity accumulated in the fetus and resolves fetal startle Qi. Thus, within ten days, there will be no diseases such as Double Tongue, Wooden Tongue, Trismus, Fetal Wind, Fetal Heat, or Fetal Startle. After cutting the umbilical cord, if the stump has fallen off but is not yet dry, frequent bathing allows Wind-Dampness to invade the navel, leading to Umbilical Wind and Mouth Grasping. Overfeeding leads to vomiting milk, diarrhea, abdominal pain, phlegm-saliva, startle, Infantile Malnutrition (Gan Syndrome), Wind, and Epilepsy. Clothing that is too warm consumes internal Yin, making the child delicate, timid, and prone to illness; easily catching cold from slight Wind-Cold exposure. All these are caused by excessive care. Thus, poor children are robust and disease-free, while rich children are fragile and die young. It is like plants just sprouting: if covered tightly so they cannot see wind, sun, rain, or dew, they will inevitably become yellow, withered, and weak. Today, ignorant people often suffer this and fail to raise their sons well. Subsequent children are cherished even more, regretting that previous children died from lack of warmth, completely unaware that excessive love actually harms them. Alas, how painful!
Newborn Conditions
When a child is just born, the mouth still contains fetal blood. If there is a skilled and steady midwife, she should immediately use her hand to withdraw the blood and retained fluids from the mouth and anus. This is fetal toxicity, treated using the Method of Wiping Impurities.
If a child dies immediately upon birth, check if there are blisters on the body. Haste to pop them, wipe away the blood with cotton, and ensure blood does not enter the throat; the child can be revived.
If a newborn has ceased breathing and cannot cry, wrap them in cotton clothing, do not cut the umbilical cord, burn the placenta on fire, and then take a thick paper twist dipped in oil, light it, and burn the umbilical cord to revive the child.
If the newborn cannot pass urine or stool, urgently have someone rinse their mouth with water, and suck the anterior chest, posterior chest, palms, soles, and below the navel—seven points in total—until the skin turns red.
Method of Wiping Impurities
Pre-cut a small amount of Licorice Root (Gancao) finely. At the time of delivery, wrap it in cotton and soak it in a cup of boiling water to keep warm. During birth, wrap a finger in soft cotton, dip it in the Licorice juice, and wipe the infant's mouth. Next, finely cut Coptis Rhizome (Huanglian), soak in boiling water for a long time, filter cleanly, and wipe the infant's mouth to expel foul fluids. Then give a quantity of Cinnabar (Zhusha) the size of a soybean, finely ground, mixed with honey from a clam shell, and smear it into the infant's mouth. Ingesting this not only calms the Heart, stabilizes the Spirit, and detoxifies, but also benefits the Liver and Gallbladder, removes irritability and heat, and wards off evil Qi.