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Huang, male, 3 years old, was admitted to the hospital on August 20, 1958, and diagnosed with epidemic encephalitis B. Upon admission, the child had a high fever of 40°C, sweating, thirst, flushed face, dry lips, vomiting, a yellow and moist tongue coating, and two slightly loose bowel movements per day. The pulse was rapid, with the right side stronger than the left. It was determined that the summer heat pathogen had entered the yangming qi aspect, and a pungent-cool and drastic formula, White Tiger Decoction with modifications, was prescribed.
Raw Gypsum 45g, Anemarrhena 6g, Chinese Yam 9g, Forsythia 9g, Rice 9g, Prepared Liquorice Root 3g
. On the morning of the 21st, during the second consultation, the fever had increased to 40.5°C, the tongue coating was yellow and greasy, and there were three loose bowel movements per day. The original formula was continued, with the Gypsum dosage increased to 60g. In the afternoon, during another consultation, the body temperature rose to 40.9°C, and Ginseng was added to the prescription. However, the fever remained unchanged, and the loose stools did not decrease.
On the 22nd, during the third consultation, after two days of continuous use of a large dose of White Tiger Decoction, the high fever not only persisted but the loose stools increased to four times a day. The child exhibited fright and vigilance upon hearing sounds, with coarse breathing and nausea, indicating a worsening trend of the disease. However, the symptoms of sweating, thirst, high fever, yellow tongue coating, and a large, rapid pulse were all indications for White Tiger Decoction. Why did the symptoms not improve but instead worsen after taking the medicine? After much contemplation, it suddenly dawned that the child's Renying (ST9) pulse was rapid, with a flushed face, high fever, sweating, and slight panting, indicating an exterior pathogen. The yellow but not dry tongue coating, nausea, and frequent loose stools suggested summerheat dampness in the spleen and stomach, indicating a syndrome of diarrhea with heat. The previous repeated use of White Tiger Decoction to clear yangming channel heat had committed the error of neglecting the exterior pathogen and violated the contraindication of using Gypsum and Anemarrhena, which are cool and moistening and thus exacerbate dampness. No wonder the high fever and loose stools increased instead of decreasing. Since the child's condition was clearly a case of diarrhea with heat, it was purely a case for Pueraria, Skullcap, and Coptis Decoction. Therefore, the following prescription was urgently prepared:

Pueraria Root 12g, Skullcap Root 9g, Coptis Rhizome 1.5g, Liquorice Root 3g
. After taking one dose, the fever decreased to 39.4°C, and after the second dose, it further decreased to 38.8°C. The bowel movements improved, and the nausea stopped. The child quickly recovered and was discharged from the hospital.