Case from Fei Sheng-Fu (费绳甫）
Mr. Wu from northern Jiangsu [suffered] from Liver wood encroaching the Spleen until only it’s [qi] was present in the abdomen  致成單腹. The abdomen was distended like a drum, the umbilicus protruded outward, the tendons were blue. The back was normal but the waist full. This constituted a dangerous pattern. In this situation [the appropriate strategy] is to curb wood and support earth, unblock with warming [medicinals], and leach out dampness. Prescription was:

Aconiti Radix…

Original Case: Ye Tian-Shi (叶天士）
Shen was 43 years old with a deficient and choppy pulse. The emotions had become unsmooth and the Liver and Spleen qi and blood were excessively constrained. This had persisted without relief for half a year. Giving a drastic formula was difficult [not appropriate]. Therefore giving the official prescription, Rambling Powder (xiäo yáo sân) with Tonify the Middle to Augment the Qi Decoction (bû zhöng yì qì täng) was decided upon.
Original Chinese: 沈（四三） 脉虚涩。情怀失畅。肝脾气血多郁。半载不愈。难任峻剂。议以局方逍遥散。兼服补中益气。…

Original case by: Fei Bo-Xiong (费伯雄)
When the Spleen is deficient and dampness wins out [over physiological transformation], the momentum [of the disorder] is towards Wood seizing the position of earth. Employing [a strategy] of relaxing the movement [of the qi dynamic] while separately eliminating [the various pathogenic qi] yielded results [quickly] after [the prescriptions] was taken. However, dampness is still soaking Spleen yang disabling movement and transformation. [Therefore, I once again] employ the previous strategy in order to promote…

Original case by: Fei Bo-Xiong (费伯雄)
Wood seizes the position of earth, hence only the abdomen is distended. [The appropriate strategy] is to curtail wood and support earth.
calcined Arcae Concha (wâ léng zî)
Corydalis Rhizoma (yán hú suô)
Benincasae Exocarpium (döng guä pí)
Benincasae Semen (döng guä zî)
Magnoliae officinalis Cortex (hòu pò)
Paeoniae Radix alba (bái sháo)
Codonopsis Radix (dâng shën)
Poriae Cutis (fú líng pí)
Atractylodis macrocephalae Rhizoma (bái zhú)
Aurantii Fructus immaturus (zhî shí)
Gigeriae galli…

By: Ye Tian-Shi (Case #3)
Zhou was a 17-year-old unmarried girl with menstrual irregularities. Her menses were sometimes early and sometimes late. Prior to her menses she had abdominal pain that was worse than normal, and her intake of food and drink was greatly reduced. This problem started at the beginning of summer, and going into autumn her lower burner was often cold. There were abdominal sounds, and alternating diarrhea and constipation. The examination revealed that she easily had depressed…