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My father's siblings totaled eight: four brothers, six sisters, and eight younger sisters. Four brothers, the sixth sister, and the eighth sister all died in infancy. What disease caused their deaths? I had never heard of it before. My second brother, Jinhuang, courtesy name Zhongfei, nickname Yanling, died during a journey in Qingjiang at the age of fifteen. Prior to this, during the Taiping Rebellion in the Gengshen year of Xianfeng (1860), Suzhou fell. My parents took the family to seek refuge in Henan and Shanxi. In the Jiazi year (1864), government troops recaptured Suzhou. In the Yichou year (1865), the family returned home. I heard from my mother: "While in Taiyuan, Yanling was already ill. His back was ulcerated like a bowl, he could not rise from bed, yet he did not feel pain himself. He was intelligent and his writing was elegant; my father loved him dearly. After falling ill, unable to write, he learned needlework to pass the time, managing to do so despite no formal training. The doctor said, 'Like a vessel, those that are dexterous are prone to breakage.' On the way home, he was carried in a litter. By the time they reached Qingjiang, the illness had persisted for a year. At the moment of death, his consciousness was clear. He told his mother, 'I cannot see.' When a lamp was brought close, he still said, 'I cannot see.' Then he said, 'I can no longer endure,' and passed away. The *Classic* states: 'When Qi departs, vision is unclear.' It also says: 'Yin deficiency leads to blindness.' This is a deficiency syndrome. Had he not suffered displacement due to war, had he received nourishment from herbs, and avoided the toil of travel, how could he have suddenly lost his natural lifespan?" As for the deaths of my eldest brother, third sister, fifth brother, and ninth sister, these occurred after my prime years.

My eldest brother, Jinniang, courtesy name Bingfu, had hyperactive Liver fire, an irritable temperament, a thin physique with a sallow complexion, belonging to the Fire constitution. Encountering frustrating events, his Liver Qi stagnated and transformed into fire, spreading to the Stomach. He developed *Zhong Xiao* syndrome (polyphagia), craving food insatiably. Physicians prescribed Yin-nourishing agents. I remarked, "Preserving Yin without clearing Heat, how can this work? With blazing Stomach fire, only Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum) and Zhimu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma) can achieve efficacy. Considering the root, perhaps Jingyue's *Yunü Jian* (Jade Woman Decoction) should be used?" He did not listen. His condition worsened daily until he died.

My third sister married into the Wu family, bearing three daughters and one son. She had Blood heat and Blood deficiency, insufficient to nourish the Liver. Liver Qi, having no attachment, invaded the collaterals, causing tendon spasms and discomfort. Qi stagnation failed to dissipate, leading to illness. A certain physician used aromatic-drying herbs to soothe the Liver, which induced convulsions. Later, Mr. Be Fuqin was consulted. He prescribed Dihuang (Rehmanniae Radix), Lingjiao (Cornus Caprae Cornu), Juluo (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Retinervum), and Ye (Leaf). After one dose... [Text continues describing subsequent misdiagnosis by Fei Jinqing using Qianghuo (Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix) and Duhuo (Angelicae Pubescentis Radix) for wind-cold-dampness spasm, worsening the condition, followed by moxibustion causing coma and death]. Aromatic-drying herbs soothe the Liver when Blood is sufficient but Qi is stagnant. That physician only knew to soothe Liver Qi but did not understand that this Qi stagnation resulted from Blood deficiency causing Qi to lose its attachment. Aromatic-drying herbs can scorch Yin; did he know this? Dr. Be’s formula, which pacified the Liver, nourished Blood, and cleared collaterals with slight unblocking, was extremely precise, but only one dose was taken, failing to complete the cure. Alas! Dr. Fei failed to distinguish external contraction from internal injury, internal wind from external wind, and heat syndromes from cold syndromes. He was truly a layman among physicians, let alone a hereditary medical family. If the nine springs have consciousness, Mr. Jinqing should weep bitterly underground. Zhang Zhongjing stated, "With a fine and rapid pulse, moxibustion must be avoided." Because mugwort fire severely damages Yin. For constitutions with Yin deficiency and internal heat, applying mugwort fire causes fire Qi to attack internally; adding fire to fire, how can Yin endure? Zhongjing said, "One error may prolong life; a second error accelerates death." How much more so for this case, where errors were repeated again and again?

My fifth brother, Jinyuan, courtesy name Shuhe, was agile and skilled in literature and poetry. At sixteen, he entered the county school but failed examinations repeatedly, feeling depressed and frustrated. He traveled to Yue as an official under a Da Ling but remained unappointed, indulging in wine to drown his sorrows. This led to damp accumulation and phlegm generation, damaging Middle Qi. In the Xinhai year (1911), the Wuchang Revolution began, and Yue also saw unrest. We fled to Shanghai. One morning, upon rising, he contracted wind-cold. Wind-cold bound the exterior, while damp-heat steamed within. He developed high fever and aversion to cold, with a slippery, greasy tongue coating. Initially, physicians treated him with acrid-cool herbs to resolve wind-heat, without effect. Then, bitter-warm herbs were used to transform phlegm-fluids, also without effect. He lingered and ultimately could not be saved.

My ninth sister married into the Zhang family. She was gentle, virtuous, and filial to her mother-in-law. As her mother-in-law’s birthday approached, from summer to autumn, she would climb to the cool terrace every evening, diligently doing needlework to prepare gifts. Internal summer-heat accumulated, while external cool wind invaded. She developed coughing. Not treating it immediately, after half a year it progressed to consumption (Lao disease). Seeking treatment then was too late. She died at twenty-eight. The saying goes, "A cold unresolved becomes consumption." A cold is not a terminal illness; not all cases fail to resolve. Those that do not resolve do so because treatment was delayed. Regarding my siblings: Second Brother and Ninth Sister erred by delaying treatment; Eldest Brother, Third Sister, and Fifth Brother erred due to incorrect medical treatment. This shows how many die due to medical errors. Thinking of my siblings, who passed away one after another, leaving me alone, my heart is broken.

Record of the Illness and Death of My Children

I had twenty children; half survived, half died. My eldest son, Peizhi, was spoiled by his maternal grandparents. Overfeeding led to irregular diet, resulting in *Gan Ji* syndrome (childhood malnutrition/accumulation). It shifted from excess to deficiency. Mr. Bao Zhu cured him, but his Yuan Qi did not recover. Months later, in the intense heat of autumn, an attendant took him to play in the market. He was startled and fainted suddenly. Before medicine could be administered, he died within a quarter-hour. At that time, I was traveling by boat to Zhenjiang for the Autumn Examination. I dreamed of losing my teeth, worrying secretly, and told my cousin Wang Bingu. The next day, companions disembarked due to adverse winds. I felt lost and stayed on the boat all day. Fearing my grief, the family hid the news. Only after returning did I learn of it. He died at four.

My fourth daughter, Changkun, had a wet nurse who drank alcohol and fed her meat frequently. At just one year old, she developed diarrhea. Physicians disagreed on whether it was deficiency or excess. I knew nothing of medicine and listened. She soon died.

My fifth son, Peirong, accompanied me to Hangzhou. Playing early in the morning, he caught cold which transformed into heat. Physicians used Niuhuang Qingxin Wan (Calculus Bovis Heart-Clearing Pill). He went mad and died at twelve. Madness treated with Heart-clearing methods is understandable; but using Heart-clearing methods causing madness indicates guiding pathogenic factors into the Pericardium. I do not blame the physician; I blame myself for not understanding medical principles clearly at the time.

My seventh daughter died shortly after birth because her mother was severely ill during pregnancy.

My tenth daughter, Changping, had congenital insufficiency. She crawled on her buttocks. She also suffered from food stagnation. Further digestion damaged her further. She died of weakness at the Shanghang County Office at age two.

My twelfth daughter, Qingxi, had a deficient constitution and also suffered from food stagnation. Physicians used Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma) to purge, making deficiency worse, leading to collapse. She was twelve.

My sixteenth son, Peifu, was carried by a maid in the garden during summer. He contracted wind and was startled. Treatment failed. I trusted the skills of Han Banchi, who was in Hangzhou. I brought my son to consult him. On the train, the whistle startled the child again. Upon reaching Hangzhou, Dr. Han declined to see us. The child died in a Hangzhou inn at age two.

My seventeenth son, Peili, and eighteenth son, Peigui, were twins. Their Qi and Blood were divided and both deficient. One died immediately; the other died over half a month later.

My nineteenth daughter contracted smallpox while living in Shanghai. Smallpox was epidemic. She contracted the qi and became ill. Although I knew medicine, I was not proficient in smallpox treatment. The pustules covered her entire body and head without gap, resembling water blisters with black dots inside, one being large. Other physicians could not cure her. She died at two. Among them, Changkun, Peirong, and Qingxi seemed treatable but were neglected. Thus, I feared medicine even more and resolved to study it deeply.

Record of Mr. He Hongfang Treating My Mother’s Wei Syndrome and My Brother’s Dysentery

In the spring of the Wuyin year of Tongzhi (1878), my father, Renqing Gong, passed away. My mother, Lady Wang, whose Qi and Blood were inherently deficient, suffered sudden shock and exhaustion, developing *Wei* syndrome (atrophy/flaccidity). She remained bedridden for a year. In the autumn of the Jiyi year (1879), my maternal great-uncle, Wang Anzhai, fell ill. A famous physician, Mr. He Hongfang, was invited to Chonggu. My mother engaged him for her own treatment. Mr. He was friends with my great-uncle Wang Zijiben, and my father was also familiar with him. After diagnosis, he rebuked us brothers: "Our families are long-standing friends. Why was I not informed earlier when the illness began, keeping her bedridden for a year? Fortunately, it is still treatable now." He produced two prescriptions: one to take first for several doses, another to follow for dozens of doses. He calculated: "By mid-spring next year, she will be able to walk. Bring your wife to Chonggu then, and I will adjust the prescription." Hearing this, I was half-believing, half-doubting, but took the medicine. Her condition improved daily. By the first lunar month, she could walk holding the bed; by the second month, she could walk without support. Amazing! We went to Chonggu to adjust the prescription and express gratitude. I thus realized medicine could revive the critically ill.

In the autumn of the Jichou year (1889), my fifth brother Shuhe took the Autumn Examination. He suffered from eczema. Seeking a quick cure before entering the examination hall, he used *Yi Sao Guang* (a strong purgative/cleansing agent) and recovered. However, it was a "robbery" method (draining vital energy). Upon return, staying at the Wu residence in Hejun, the disease relapsed and transformed into dysentery. Local physicians treated him for a month. The dysentery stopped, but he developed mouth ulcers (*Kou Mi*), hiccups (*E Ni*), fatigue, loss of appetite, and signs of impending collapse. My mother was also in Hejun. Receiving news of his critical state, she urged me to go. Trusting Dr. He’s skill, I sent a servant with a letter inviting him and went myself. Upon arrival, the local doctor said the pathogen was gone, the body was very weak, and tonics like Ejiao (Asini Corii Colla) should be used. The decoction was spilled by a cat twice. I asked if there was certainty of Dr. He’s arrival and suggested stopping medication to wait. Dr. He arrived in the evening. After a long pulse diagnosis, he looked up and said, "The Triple Burner is blocked. What to do?" He reviewed previous prescriptions. Seeing the Ejiao prescription on the last page, he slapped the table: "Was this taken? If taken, there is no hope." I explained it was spilled twice and not taken. He said, "If not taken, there is still hope." He told me: "Mouth ulcers indicate damp-stagnation steaming; hiccups indicate lower blockage reversing upward; loss of appetite indicates damp-stagnation obstruction. Great excess resembles emaciation. The Triple Burner is obstructed. It must be guided. Returning to dysentery is good." He added, "If the pathogen is not expelled, death is certain. We are old friends; I do not write social prescriptions. I will stay on my boat. If you take my medicine and dysentery returns tonight, there is a chance of survival. I will diagnose again tomorrow. If unblocking fails, my medicine might accelerate death. Hope lies in tomorrow. I leave early tomorrow." His words were decisive. I reported "returning dysentery means recovery" to my mother and sister-in-law, but dared not say "no dysentery means death." I was anxious and sleepless. At dawn, a maid came out. I asked urgently. She said he had dysentery eleven times last night. I was ecstatic, rushed to the boat, and told Dr. He. He was pleased, went ashore, diagnosed again, and said, "He can live, but it takes time." He added, "My daughter is critically ill. I must return urgently. My son-in-law accompanies me." His son-in-law, Peng Wenbo, was my friend. Peng urged his father-in-law to return, but he insisted on staying. I said, "I do not know medicine. If you leave, no one can continue. You save him then abandon him. What shall I do?" He thought for a long time and said, "There is Wang Songting from Songjiang, my student, practicing in Hejun. Find him." Servants searched and soon found Dr. Wang, who turned out to be the brother of Wang Doucha, my close friend. Dr. He wrote two prescriptions: one for incomplete dysentery resolution, one for cleared dysentery. The back of the paper listed almost all herbs, indicating modifications based on symptoms and pulses. One prescription contained dozens of possibilities. He gave the prescription to Dr. Wang, predicting future conditions precisely: "He will pass five-colored dysentery sequentially: green first, then black, yellow, red, white. This is harmless." Asked why, he replied, "Accumulations correspond to organ colors. Lung is highest. When white accumulation passes, dysentery clears." He calculated dates: "On the morning of [Date], he will appear lethargic and near collapse. Do not medicate or disturb. Wait quietly. Harmless." Asked why, he replied, "It is Frost’s Descent solar term. Qi arrives three days early. Ordinary people do not notice, but patients will worsen." Dr. Wang followed the prescription exactly. The patient recovered. I thus knew medicine could kill or save. My dedication to medicine began seeing Dr. He cure my mother and brother.

Record of the Cure of My Second Wife’s Que Disease

In the spring of the Bingwu year (1906), I resigned due to offending superiors and returned to Huzhou. With many children and empty pockets, my second wife, Wang, was deeply worried. Liver Qi stagnation generated fire, Wood-Fire attacking Metal, causing cough. I dared not treat her myself and hired a physician. It did not improve and worsened. Menstruation ceased, hemoptysis occurred, followed by white blood expectoration, and constipation. Doctors said "Que disease (consumption/tuberculosis) has formed" and refused treatment. I consulted medical texts and used the idea from *Qianjin Fang*: single herb Shashen (Glehniae Radix) powdered, five qian daily. After five days, a blood clot passed in stool. After another dose, two more clots passed. Cough stopped. I then used Baihe (Lilii Bulbus) and Dongchongxiacao (Cordyceps) regularly. Yuan Qi recovered, and diet normalized. Months later, abdominal distension felt like pre-menstrual bloating. I suspected menstruation would return. Using Danpi (Moutan Cortex) to move and Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix) to descend, flow was restored, and she fully recovered. No standard Yin-nourishing or Blood-tonifying formulas were used. Lung and Large Intestine are exterior-interior related. Disease in the Zang organs driven out through the Fu organs means the Lung is spared. If the Lung is spared, it can control the Liver. Although the disease originated in the Liver, without directly treating it, the fire calmed itself.

Record of Nephew Peixun’s Birth Rigor and Son Peizhi’s Syncope Rescue

My maternal grandfather, Wang Xingjie (name Yao Kui), loved medical texts and compiled *Xu Jingyan Fang*. My mother, Lady Wang, learned methods from discussions, often saying: "I don't know drug properties, but I memorize beneficial and harmless methods for emergencies." My eldest sister-in-law Zhou, pregnant seven months, contracted malaria with severe chills. The fetus descended. Though seven months, autumn cold was severe. The fetus was born without crying, pale, cold limbs, and lifeless. My mother ordered not to cut the umbilical cord. They smoked it with paper twists dipped in sesame oil, gently squeezing warm air into the abdomen. Until the cord dried and broke, they pinched it to prevent Qi leakage, then tied it. The baby cried immediately. This is my third nephew, Peixun. Case: Xue Ji treated a woman delivering in early winter. Labor difficulty injured Yuan Qi. Baby born dead. Used burning oil twist on cut umbilical cord to warm with Qi. Soon the baby made a sound. Without knowing this method, how easily would a life be lost? Fetuses born at seven months can survive; those at eight months often do not. Why? Seven is a Yang month.

My second son, Peizhi, suddenly suffered syncope (*Jue*). Cold extremities. Condition severe, no time to call a doctor. Mother said: "Syncope has cold and heat types. Medicines wrong without a doctor. There is a method applicable to both." Carried to a windowless room. Multiple towels wrung in hot water were used to compress limbs by several people. Changed when slightly cool, without pause. Soon warmed. Then a doctor was called, and he recovered.

Also, my mother always prepared a basin of thousand-year-old Mugwort (*Ai*) for childbirth to absorb lochia; vinegar and charcoal to prevent blood晕 (fainting); stove in winter to ward off cold; well water in summer to absorb summer heat; plus Ginseng soup, American Ginseng soup, and White Flower Motherwort soup. All prepared. She said: "Better to have and not use, than need and not have."

Record of Third Daughter Changjun’s Heat Syncope and Eighth Daughter Peifen’s Slow Spleen Recovery

Third daughter Changjun, at a few years old, stayed at her maternal home in Nantang Town, Zhang family. Ill with cold extremities. A village doctor named Wang prescribed Rougui (Cinnamon Bark). My brother-in-law Zhang Junjunba, thinking village medicine poor, sent someone to buy better quality Rougui from the city and notified me. I exclaimed: "Syncope differs in cold and heat. Can Rougui be lightly tried?" I carried medicine and invited city doctor Li Tongbo to the village. Li diagnosed: "Heat Syncope." Treated with *Sini San* (Four Counterflow Powder). Recovered. If good cinnamon had been used, a life would have been lost.

Eighth daughter Peifen, I had no wife to help, so she was fostered with my fifth brother Shuhe in Hejun. She suffered fright. Long-term treatment ineffective, condition worsened. Hearing this, I rowed quickly. Her face was pale, lips and tongue pale. Cried like a crow, low voice, little sound. Lay on wet nurse’s shoulder, seeming exhausted, wanting to sleep but uneasy, refusing milk. Urine clear, stool loose. Consciousness very clear. Reviewed previous prescriptions: all phlegm-resolving, fire-clearing, wind-dispersing, fright-arresting agents for acute fright wind. I liked reading texts but didn't understand well. Suspected *Man Pi* (Slow Spleen) from *Fu You Bian*. Local doctors had all been consulted, no advice available. Tentatively used Zhuang Zaitian’s method: Fuzi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata), Guizhi (Cinnamomi Ramulus), Yuzhu (Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma), Wuweizi (Schisandrae Fructus) boiled to thick juice, fed frequently to wet nurse. My sixth uncle Wang Erzhi also lived in Hejun. After prescribing, I visited him. He asked condition. I explained. He surprised: "You know medicine? Can Fuzi and Guizhi be used recklessly?" I became doubtful, observing effects. She slept peacefully. Slept long, woke asking for milk. Doubt cleared. Followed Zhuang’s method. Recovered. At that time, I lacked true insight; it was luck. Those knowing some theory but not proficient, beware of imitating this.

Record of Nephew Peiben’s Death from Abdominal Swelling

Nephew Peiben, courtesy name Xinyuan, suffered abdominal swelling. Doctors treated as damp-heat excess, using *Zhongman Fenxiao Tang* removing Renshen (Ginseng), Yuzhu, and two Gingers. I knew his Kidney deficiency. Said: "This disease has excess within deficiency. Must address the root." Showed various texts. He did not listen. He recovered, thinking I spoke falsely. I told others it would recur. It did. Doctors did not change method, adding Baizhu and Shanyao to strengthen Spleen. I said: "Dangerous." Nephew’s son-in-law Cao Rongfu, son of famous doctor Cao Zihan, arrived. I suggested inviting him. Cao diagnosed, used *Jinkui Shenqi Wan* modified, changed to decoction. Relatives feared heat of Fuzi and Guizhi, dared not drink. Condition worsened, he died. At death, signs of Heart-Kidney non-interaction appeared. I said: "If medicine matches disease, even hot Fuzi/Guizhi, cold Shigao/Gentiana, dispersing Mahuang/Xixin, purging Dahuang/Mangxiao can save lives. If mismatch, even minor cold, treating wind-warmth with acrid-warm Jingfang, or wind-cold with acrid-cool Qianbang, can turn mild to severe. If afraid of extreme hot/cold and refuse them, why did ancient sages create these drugs!"

Record of Nephew Peijun Couple and Great-Nephew Chengmao Dying from Food Stagnation