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The neighbor Lin Chuwan invited me to diagnose his mother in autumn, and he also sought diagnosis through pulse examination. I said, "You will suffer from a severe illness during the deep winter months, but as long as you take careful care, there is no need to worry."

That person was physically burly and had always been healthy without illness. He suspected my words were pedantic. When winter arrived, he followed the army to campaign in Shanguan, galloping back and forth during the march. After forty days of exposure, he accumulated cold-dampness. Upon returning home, he engaged in sexual activity. The next day, he fell ill with headache and eye pain, fever burning like fire, dry mouth and scorched lips, vomiting and regurgitation, irritability and stifling sensation. The pulse was floating, slightly weak and forceless; the cun position at the chi (distal) section was thin and nearly imperceptible.

I exclaimed, "How can a Yang syndrome present with a Yin pulse? This must be due to sexual exhaustion. There should be slight pain in the lower abdomen accompanied by diarrhea." Upon inquiry, this proved true. I urgently administered a large dose of Guizhi Fuzi Lizhong Tang (Cinnamon Twig, Aconite Root, and Gastrodia Decoction). The pulse and symptoms immediately subsided. The following morning, macules appeared all over his body. He suspected it was toxicity from Aconite. I said, "You accumulated cold-dampness, which stagnated and lurked in the meridians. Yesterday, receiving hot-natured medicine promoted blood circulation and fortified the Middle Qi. Unable to contain the pathogenic factor, it erupted externally. These are Cold Macules, not Heat Macules." However, his suspicion remained unresolved. He took another mild formula for resolving macules, but his cold stomach rejected the medication. We continued administering the previous Guizhi Fuzi Lizhong Tang, after which the macules subsided and Spleen Qi recovered. In such cases, where exterior syndromes are excess, accompanied by dry thirst, mania, and irritability, along with macule eruption, contemporary physicians who cling to symptoms while ignoring the pulse will inevitably use clearing and resolving agents. Even those who claim to understand the pulse, out of timidity regarding Cinnamon Twig and Aconite as if they were snakes and scorpions, will resort to mild agents, thereby leading patients to death. The case of Zheng Zhenhou serves as a warning.

In the summer of Jiashen, a fellow townsman, Fang HT, suffered from umbilical sinking pain and slippery diarrhea after engaging in sexual activity and catching wind. The pulses in both hands were floating and rapid, resembling a frequent pulse, disappearing upon slight pressure. I administered Guizhi Fuzi Lizhong Tang for three doses, after which the pulse and symptoms gradually subsided. Seeking quick results, he hired another physician who misdiagnosed the condition as an epidemic plague, urging the administration of cold medicines and instructing him to eat raw fruits. Soon, he developed Jue syndrome (cold extremities), madness, and delirious speech. He sought my help again. Examining his six pulses, I found them absent, predicting death within a short time, which proved correct.

In the autumn of Guiwei, Zheng Zhenhou, son of Mingjing Zheng Muhua, contracted cold after sexual exhaustion and was further exposed to rain and dampness. The previous physician, afraid to use Ginger and Aconite, only prescribed Erchen Tang (Two-Cured Decoction) or other mild formulas. Nine days later, the dry heat worsened significantly, prompting the invitation of various physicians, including myself. I informed them that the pulse presented a turning-rope quality, indicating death would occur that night. Chen Kexin, son-in-law of Zheng Muhua and my brother-in-law, suffered from cold invasion after sexual exhaustion in the spring of Jiashen. His face and eyes were dark cyanotic, he clenched his teeth and shivered, his tongue turned black, and his four limbs were cold. He urgently requested my treatment. I did not have time to palpate the pulse and urgently administered Jiangfu Tang (Ginger and Aconite Decoction) for three consecutive doses before improvement occurred.