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Before the age of sixteen, a person's qi and blood are abundant, like the sun just rising or the moon about to become full. However, yin growth is insufficient, and the intestines and stomach remain fragile and narrow; therefore, the method of nurturing must not be careless. It is a maxim of former sages that children should not wear fur or silk garments, a principle well known to all. "Chang" refers to lower-body clothing. "Bo" (silk) is warmer and softer than cloth. Since the lower body governs yin, exposure to cold promotes yin growth, while warmth causes yin to dissipate. Thus, avoiding warm, thick, silk-lined garments for the lower body to prevent hindering yin qi is indeed a sound theory. With abundant qi and blood, food digests easily, so there is no fixed time for meals. Nevertheless, because the intestines and stomach are fragile and narrow, one should strictly avoid sticky, dry, hard foods, as well as sour, salty, sweet, spicy items, all meat and fish, fruits, wet noodles, roasted, baked, or stir-fried dishes—anything that generates heat and is difficult to digest. Only dried persimmons, cooked vegetables, and white rice porridge should be given. This not only prevents illness but also curbs gluttony, thereby cultivating virtue. Additionally, raw chestnuts have a salty flavor, and dried persimmons have a cool nature, which can assist in nourishing yin. However, since chestnuts are strongly tonifying and persimmons are highly astringent, both being hard to digest, they should be given sparingly. Ignorant women often indulge their children out of pity, giving them anything to stop crying. This accumulates into chronic diseases, making regret futile! Therefore, spoiled children from wealthy families suffer from frequent illnesses; upon adulthood, their sinews and bones are weak, unable to observe dietary restrictions for self-care when ill, or abstain from meat during mourning to fulfill ritual propriety. Neglecting minor details compromises major principles. Is this not something to be cautious about? Regarding nursing mothers, strict discipline is especially required. What the mother eats enters her system and directly affects the milk. Emotional desires within stir the breast meridians. If pathogenic factors reach the milk, its flow becomes stagnant. If the infant consumes such milk, disease arises immediately: vomiting or diarrhea, sores or fever, mouth ulcers, convulsions, night crying, or abdominal pain. At the onset of illness, urine output is necessarily scant; inquiry and symptom-based treatment are essential. If the mother is healthy, the child is healthy, preventing issues before they manifest. Dietary selection is merely a minor concern. The nursing mother's innate constitution (richness or thinness), temperament (calm or hasty), skeletal structure (strong or fragile), and moral character (good or bad) are rapidly mirrored by the infant, which is particularly significant. One might ask, "Is that all?" I reply, "No." Ancient prenatal education is recorded in texts, requiring no elaboration here. However, diseases originating from pregnancy are obscure, often ignored by people and unknown to physicians. While in the womb, the fetus shares the mother's body; if she is hot, the fetus is hot; if cold, the fetus is cold; if diseased, the fetus is diseased; if at peace, the fetus is at peace. The mother's diet and lifestyle must be meticulously guarded.

The second son of Scholar Zhang from Dongyang was two years old with sores covering his head. One day, the sores suddenly healed, and he developed phlegm-induced wheezing. Upon examination, I said, "This is fetal toxin. Do not administer detoxifying or purgative medicines." Everyone was astonished. I asked further, "What did you crave during pregnancy?" Zhang replied, "Spicy and hot foods." I then prescribed orally: Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix), Lian Qiao (Forsythiae Fructus), Xiong (Ligusticum Chuanxiong Rhizome), Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Sheng Gan Cao (Raw Glycyrrhizae Radix), Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), Shao Yao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), and Mu Tong (Akebiae Caulis). Decoct strongly. Administer with boiling water mixed with Zhu Li (Bamboo Sap). He recovered in a few days. Someone asked, "How did you know?" I answered, "His spirit was dull and fatigued, indicating deep pathology without external contraction. How else could it be explained but as fetal toxin?"

My second daughter was slender and irritable, with an inherent internal heat. At three months of pregnancy, during summer heat, she felt thirsty and craved water, experiencing occasional low-grade fever. I advised Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) added with Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), Sheng Gan Cao (Raw Glycyrrhizae Radix), and Mu Tong (Akebiae Caulis). Due to laziness in decocting, she stopped after a few doses. Later, this child, at age two, had sores all over the body. Suddenly, the sores healed completely, and several days later, malaria developed. I stated, "This is fetal toxin. If the sores recur, the illness will resolve itself." This proved true. Had she strictly adhered to the previous prescription during pregnancy, what illness would have occurred?

Furthermore, the daughter of the Chen family developed epilepsy at age eight, triggered by rainy weather or fright, with foaming at the mouth and bleating sounds like a sheep. I diagnosed, "This resembles fright received in utero." The condition was deep and stubborn; after six months of regulation, the disease subsided. A bland diet was necessary to support the medicinal efficacy. I administered Shao Dan Yuan (a specific pill formula) followed by Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) combined with Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), adjusted according to the seasons, resulting in recovery after half a year.