3. Twitching of tendons and muscles:

Original case from: Xu Shu-Wei’s Case number 17

A townsperson named Jing made a living in the country village by twisting fibres into rope (”sheng”), and so was known as Jing Sheng Zi — “Roper Jing”.

Her son was almost thirty years old when he became ill, showing a slight sweat, weak pulse, and aversion to wind. The doctor mistakenly gave him Ma Huang Tang to bring on a sweat, and sweat he did — without stop! Fever, chest pain, intense palpitations, unable to sleep at night, and delirium all followed. Soon he did not recognise his mother, and began twitching convulsively, moving and shaking. The doctor then tried heavy sedators and wind extinguishing herbs as treatment.

I saw this and said: “Erroneous forcing of diaphoresis! Zhong-Jing said:

Patients with weak forceless pulse, sweating and aversion to wind cannot be given [Da] Qing Long Tang (Major Blue-Green Dragon Decoction). When they take it the result will be twitching of the tendons and convulsions of the muscles, and coldness of the limbs. “
[Clause 38 (38)]

I continued: “Only Zhen Wu Tang (True Warrior Decoction) can save him. Zhong-Jing says:

Tai Yang illness with sweating that does not stop, and the patient still has fever, palpitations, convulsive twitching that threatens to lift him off the ground: Zhen Wu Tang is the treatment.”
[Clause 82 (84)]

After giving him three doses of the worst was over; as a follow-up Qing Xin Wan (Pill to Clear the Heart) and Zhu Ye Tang (Bamboo Leaf Decoction) was given to relieve any further remaining toxic pathogen. After several days he was cured.

Steve’s comment: The above two cases [see previous Zhu Ling Tang case] are juxtaposed to illustrate Xu’s adroitness in the face of two cases, of exactly similar etiology, with yet differing consequences. Note that while each case suffered insomnia as a result of incorrect diaphoresis, in the second case this was overridden by the severity of the spasming. Each patient, too, varied in constitution and thus treatment necessarily varied.

What impresses me is Xu’s encyclopaedic familiarity with the Shang Han Lun, his appreciation that “These are no idle words!” and his ability to recognise in confusing cases the core symptoms which identify the applicable portion of the classic. Very inspiring! While it is true that we have relatively scant resources for studying the Shang Han Lun in English so far, we should remember that it could not have been easy in Song dynasty China, either.

Translated by Steven Clavey