小儿之疾，热与痰二端而已。盖纯阳之体，日抱
怀中，衣被加暖，又褪褓之类，皆用火烘，内外俱
热；热则生风，风火相煽，乳食不歇则必生痰；痰得
火炼则坚如胶漆，而乳仍不断，则新旧之痰日积，必
至胀闷啼哭，又强之食乳，以止其啼，从此胸高气塞，
目瞪手搐，即指为惊风，其实非惊，乃饱胀欲死耳！
此时告其父母，令减衣停乳，则必大愠，谓虚羸若此，
反令其冻馁、无不唾骂；医者亦不明此理，非用刚燥
之药，即用参、 滋补，至痰结气凝之后，则无可救
疗。余见极多，教之适其寒温，停其乳食，以清米饮
养其胃气，稍用消痰顺气之药调之。能听从者，十愈
八九；其有不明此理，反目为狂言者，百无一生。
至于痘科，尤属怪诞，痘为小儿之所必不免，非
恶疾也。当天气温和之时，死者绝少，若大寒大暑，
其元气虚而稠密者，间有不治。其始欲透发，其后欲浆
满，皆赖精血为之。乃未发以前即用大黄、石膏数
两，以遏其生发之机而败其元气，既而即用蚯蚓数
十，蛴螬数个，及一切大寒大热之品，如蜈蚣、蝎子、
鸡头、猪尾之类，又将地丁、银花等粗 之品数
两，煎汁而灌之，增其毒而倒其胃，此等恶物，即令
医者自服之，亦必胃绝肠裂，况孩提乎！凡用此等药
者，必预决此儿死于何日，十不失一，其父母翻盛称
其眼力不爽，孰知其即死于彼所用之药也。或有元
气充实，幸而不死者，遂以为非此等大药不能挽回，
而人人传布，奉为神方矣！更可异者，强壮之年，医
者黄芩、麦芽，俱不敢用，以为克伐；孩提之子则石
膏、大黄，成两成斤，毫罔顾虑，至此而极，无奈呼
天抢地以告人，而人不信也。
又有造为螳螂子之说者，割开颐内，取出血痰。
此法起于明末海滨妖妇骗财之法，惟苏、松二处盛
行，割死者甚众。盖小儿有痰火者，吃乳数日，必有
一二颐肿，厌食，名曰妒乳。用薄荷、朴硝为末，
搽一二次即愈，即不治亦愈。至所割出之痰块，或大
或小，人因信之。不知颐内空虚之处，人人有此，割
则复生，并非病也。不然，何以普天下之小儿，从未
有患螳螂子而死者，独苏、松有此病耶？此亦一害，故并及之。
小儿的疾病，主要归结为“热”与“痰”两个方面。因为小儿是纯阳之体，日常被抱在怀中，衣被加暖，就连换下的尿布之类物品，也都用火烘烤，导致体内体外都受热；体内有热就会生风，风火相互煽动，加上哺乳不停，必然产生痰液；痰液受到火热煎熬就变得坚硬如胶漆，而乳汁又不断摄入，于是新旧痰液日日积聚，必然导致胸腹胀闷、啼哭不止，此时若强行喂食以止其啼哭，从此出现胸高气塞、两眼直视、手足抽搐的症状，人们便称之为“惊风”，其实并非受惊所致，而是饱胀欲死罢了！此时告知其父母，让他们减少衣物、停止哺乳，他们必定非常愤怒，认为孩子如此虚弱瘦弱，反而让他受冻挨饿，无不唾骂；医生也不明白这个道理，不是使用刚燥的药物，就是用人参等滋补药物，等到痰结气凝之后，就无可救疗了。我见到的情况极多，教导家长使孩子寒温适宜，停止乳食，用清淡的米汤滋养胃气，稍加使用消痰顺气的药物调理。能听从的，十人可愈八九；那些不明白此理，反而视之为狂言的，百人无一存活。
至于痘科（天花治疗），尤其显得怪诞荒谬。痘疹是小儿难免的疾病，并非恶疾。在天气温和的时候，死亡的极少，若是大寒大暑之时，那些元气虚弱且痘疹稠密者，偶尔有不治身亡的。痘疹初期想要透发，后期想要浆满，都依赖精血来支撑。然而在未发病之前，就使用大黄、石膏数两，以遏制其生发的生机并败坏其元气，随后又立即使用蚯蚓数十条、蛴螬数个，以及一切大寒大热的物品，如蜈蚣、蝎子、鸡头（指某些昆虫或部位）、猪尾之类，还将地丁、银花等粗劣之物数两，煎汁灌服，增加其毒性并损伤脾胃，这些恶物，即使让医生自己服用，也必定导致胃绝肠裂，何况是孩子呢！凡是使用这些药物的人，必定预先断定这个孩子死于何日，十次不会失误一次，孩子的父母反而盛赞其眼力精准，哪里知道孩子正是死于他所用的药物啊。或许有元气充实，侥幸未死的，于是认为非这种大药不能挽回，从而人人传布，奉为神方！更令人奇异的是，对于强壮之年的人，医生连黄芩、麦芽都不敢用，认为是克伐正气；而对于幼儿，却使用石膏、大黄，成两成斤，毫无顾虑，到了这种极端的地步，无奈呼天抢地向人诉说，而人们却不相信。
又有制造出“螳螂子”说法的，割开婴儿面颊内部，取出血痰。这种方法起源于明末海滨妖妇骗财的手段，只在苏州、松江两地盛行，被割死者甚众。大概小儿有痰火的，吃奶数日后，必有一两个面颊肿胀，厌食，名叫“妒乳”。用薄荷、朴硝研末，涂抹一两次即愈，即使不治疗也会自愈。至于所割出的痰块，或大或小，人们因此相信它。不知道面颊内部空虚之处，人人都有，割后还会再生，这并非疾病。否则，为什么普天下的小儿，从未有患螳螂子而死的，唯独苏州、松江有此病呢？这也是一个害处，所以一并提及。
The diseases of infants and children can be summarized into two aspects: heat (Re, 热) and phlegm (Tan, 痰). This is because infants possess a "pure yang" constitution (Chunyang zhi ti, 纯阳之体). They are constantly held in arms, wrapped in warm clothing, and even items like diapers are dried over fire, causing both internal and external heat. Heat generates wind (Feng, 风), and wind and fire fan each other; with continuous breastfeeding, phlegm is inevitably produced. Phlegm, refined by fire, becomes hard as glue or lacquer. Since milk intake continues, old and new phlegm accumulate daily, leading to chest and abdominal distension, stuffiness, and crying. If one forces feeding to stop the crying, it results in high chest qi obstruction, staring eyes, and hand convulsions. This is labeled as "convulsive disease" (Jingfeng, 惊风), but it is not due to fright; rather, it is death from suffocation due to overfeeding! At this time, if parents are told to reduce clothing and stop breastfeeding, they will likely become extremely angry, arguing that the child is already weak and emaciated, and asking why they should be made cold and hungry, often cursing the doctor. Doctors who do not understand this principle either use harsh, drying medicines or employ tonics such as Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen, 人参). Once phlegm congeals and qi stagnates, there is no cure. I have seen this too often. I advise making the temperature suitable, stopping milk and food, nourishing stomach qi with clear rice water, and slightly using herbs to resolve phlegm and regulate qi. Those who listen are cured nine out of ten times; those who do not understand and dismiss this as madness have zero survival rate out of a hundred.
Regarding smallpox treatment (Douke, 痘科), it is particularly absurd. Smallpox is inevitable for children and is not a malignant disease. When the weather is mild, deaths are rare. In extreme cold or heat, only those with deficient yuan qi (Yuanqi, 元气) and dense eruptions may occasionally die. The initial stage requires eruption, and the later stage requires full pustules, both relying on essence and blood. However, before the eruption begins, large doses of Rheum Palmatum Root and Rhizome (Dahuang, 大黄) and Gypsum Fibrosum (Shigao, 石膏), amounting to several taels, are used to suppress the eruptive mechanism and damage yuan qi. Subsequently, dozens of earthworms (Qiu Yin, 蚯蚓), several larvae of beetles (Qilao, 蛴螬), and all sorts of extreme cold and hot substances, such as centipedes (Wugong, 蜈蚣), scorpions (Quanxie, 蝎子), chicken heads (Jitou, 鸡头), and pig tails, are used. Additionally, coarse materials like Hedyotis Diffusa Herba (Dideng, 地丁) and Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (Yinhua, 银花), amounting to several taels, are decocted and forced down the throat, increasing toxicity and damaging the spleen and stomach. Even if a doctor were to consume these foul substances themselves, it would surely lead to gastric failure and intestinal rupture, let alone an infant! Those who use such medicines invariably predict the exact day of death, rarely missing. The parents praise their accuracy, unaware that the child dies precisely from the medicine administered. Occasionally, a child with robust yuan qi survives by luck, leading people to believe that only such potent medicines can save them, spreading the story and revering it as a divine prescription! Even more bizarre is that for adults, doctors dare not use Scutellariae Radix (Huangqin, 黄芩) or Hordeium Vulgare Fructus Germinatum (Maiya, 麦芽), fearing they might weaken the body; yet for infants, they administer Gypsum Fibrosum and Rheum Palmatum Root and Rhizome in amounts of taels or jin without any hesitation, reaching such extremes. One can only cry out to heaven in despair, but no one believes.
Furthermore, there is the fabrication of the "Mantis Child" (Tanglangzi, 螳螂子) theory, which involves cutting open the inside of the cheek to extract bloody phlegm. This method originated from a money-making scam by a sorceress on the coast during the late Ming Dynasty and was prevalent only in Suzhou and Songjiang, resulting in many deaths. Generally, infants with phlegm-heat who nurse for a few days will develop swelling in one or both cheeks and lose appetite, a condition called "jealousy of milk" (Dulu, 妒乳). Applying powder of Menthae Haplocalycis Herba (Bohe, 薄荷) and Natrii Sulfas (Puxiao, 朴硝) once or twice cures it; even without treatment, it resolves spontaneously. The extracted phlegm clots vary in size, leading people to believe in the pathology. However, the hollow space inside the cheek exists in everyone; cutting it causes regeneration, so it is not a disease. Otherwise, why has no child anywhere else died from "Mantis Child," while it appears exclusively in Suzhou and Songjiang? This is another harm, hence mentioned here.