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Weather and Climate: The vast sky is darkened and obscured, the great brightness (Sun) fails to shine. Fiery heat prevails, and intense summer heat arrives. Mountains and marshes seem scorched and burning, timber flows with sap, tall mansions emit rising smoke, soil floats with frosty saltiness, stagnant water diminishes, creeping grass turns scorched and yellow, wind blows causing confusion in speech (wind and heat intertwine fiercely, leading to chaotic human discourse), and damp transformation lags behind. Fire naturally prospers in summer, but its qi is constrained; thus, it erupts during the fourth Qi period corresponding to the Shen and Wei hours. The fourth Qi represents the residual energy after extreme yang.

People's Diseases: Shortness of breath and lack of vital energy (vigorous fire consumes qi), sores, ulcers, carbuncles, and swelling (fire can rot matter), distension and fullness in the hypochondrium, abdomen, chest, back, head, face, and limbs (excess of yang pathogenic factors), vomiting and rebellious qi (fire qi rushes upward), convulsions and spasms (fire damages sinews), bone pain (fire damages bones), joint movements or tremors (fire hides in joints), diarrhea and downward discharge (fire in intestines and stomach), warm malaria (fire in Shaoyang), sudden severe abdominal pain (fire excess in abdomen), hemorrhage and blood flowing into various parts (fire enters the blood level), depletion of essence and fluids (fire scorching the yin level), red eyes (fire enters the Liver), heart heat (fire enters the Heart), severe cases involve mental cloudiness and oppression (fire flares up to the Upper Jiao), profound restlessness and regret (fire constrained in the Pericardium region), prone to sudden death (fire nature is rapid, destroying true yin). These are all diseases caused by excessive fire.

Treatment Methods: Constrained fire should be treated by dispersing and venting it. "Dispersing" means venting outward. All diseases of constrained fire belong to Yang and Heat patterns. Their associated Zang-Fu organs are the Heart and Small Intestine, and the San Jiao (Triple Burner); their primary location is in the collaterals and vessels, and the injury affects Yin. Wherever fire resides, if there is accumulation, gathering, or concealment, it should not be suppressed or blocked. Therefore, one must resolve, scatter, elevate, and promote it according to its trend, like opening a window or lifting a quilt. All these are referred to as "dispersing," which does not merely mean inducing sweating.

Lianqiao Jiedu Yin (Used for epidemics caused by Water Constraint, resulting from Spleen and Kidney damage, leading to symptoms such as yellowish macules, reddish face, heavy body, irritability, thirst, dry mouth, facial swelling, throat discomfort, and difficult urination and defecation.)
Ingredients: Qingdai (Indigo Naturalis, 8 fen), Yuanshen (Scrophulariae Radix, 1 qian), Zexie (Alismatis Rhizoma, 1 qian, stir-fried with salt), Zhimu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma, 1 qian), Lianqiao (Forsythiae Fructus, 1 qian, septa removed).
Administration: One large cup of child's urine, two cups of water, decocted to one cup. Take cold, mixed with powdered Wuwen Dan.

Zhuye Daochi San Used for epidemics caused by constraint of Ministerial Fire (Jun Huo), resulting from disease in the Heart and Small Intestine, leading to symptoms such as macules, strangury, hematemesis, epistaxis, delirium, insomnia, mania, irritability, vomiting, and all other fire-pathogen syndromes.
Ingredients: Shengdi (Rehmanniae Radix, 2 qian), Mutong (Akebiae Caulis, 1 qian), Lianqiao (Forsythiae Fructus, 1 qian, septa removed), Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, 1 qian), Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus, 1 qian), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix, 1 qian), Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma, 8 fen), Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba, 8 fen).
Administration: Decoct in water, dissolve Wuwen Dan, and take. (Wuwen Dan is described in previous formulas; other common prescriptions such as Xiehuang San, Xiegan San, Liangge San, and Xiebai San found in standard texts are not recorded here.)

Jin's Commentary: In clinical practice, without a thorough understanding of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity (San Cai), one cannot speak of medicine. Especially for epidemic diseases, one must study the influence of celestial timing. Secular discussions on plagues often claim that knowing the seasonal symptoms is sufficient. Linking medicine to time clarifies that these are heavenly calamities, beyond mere human control. Thus, they arrive without fixed direction and depart without trace, swift as gales and fast as lightning. Even those who are wealthy and well-nourished, living in deep halls and large houses, resting in bed, may not escape. Human limbs and Qi-Blood constantly communicate with Heaven and Earth; therefore, when Heavenly Qi interacts with the human body, disease arises. If treatment is improper, life and death hang in the balance. How can one be negligent? Treating epidemics requires first understanding the subtleties of transforming Water and Fire, the differences between Guest Qi and Host Qi, the distinct influences of Si Tian and Zai Quan, and the separate paths of the Five Constraints and Six Qi. Once mastered, one has confidence. When epidemic Qi arrives, one must observe weather (rain, cold, warmth), geography (altitude, dryness, humidity), and the patient's constitution (age, deficiency, excess). Determine if the pathogen is in the Exterior, Interior, Half-Exterior Half-Interior, Collaterals, or Zang-Fu; whether it is Upper, Middle, or Lower; the duration of days and depth of pathology; the cause of illness and date of onset; whether medication was taken previously and if errors occurred. Combine this with Observation, Auscultation/Olfaction, Inquiry, and Palpation, scrutinizing everything mentally. Then, consult the Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi to adapt to changes, completing the task of treating epidemics. Otherwise, merely using dispersants for Exterior syndromes or purgatives for Interior syndromes may occasionally succeed but is merely chance, not the certainty of seeing inside the wall. Practitioners of Yin-Yang and numerology carefully select auspicious dates for weddings, funerals, travel, and construction based on concepts like Gu Xu and Wang Xiang. Since medicine concerns life and death, how can one ignore the Theory of Five Movements and Six Qi? The danger lies in being dogmatic and rigid. One should adhere to principles without being bound by them. Statements about specific herbs for specific years are general guidelines. Epidemic treatment must still rely on syndrome differentiation. As for star constellations and regional divisions, plague origin texts often cite classics extensively; these are omitted here as their theories are too obscure and do not require such deep digging.