Wang, female, 22 years old, first consultation in September 1933. Nine months pregnant, nearing the time of parturition, contracted cold-damage disease, initially with chills followed by fever, after two or three days, fever without chills, high fever in the afternoon, spontaneous sweating and thirst, crying out in abdominal pain, dysphoria and restlessness, sometimes unconsciousness and delirious speech. The pulse was slippery and rapid with strong force, the right guan pulse was drum-like. Upon inquiring about her daily life and diet in the past ten days, her mother reported that after the fever, she ate seven old eggs twice, and for seven or eight days, the fever did not subside, and she also did not have a bowel movement. Based on her pulse and symptoms, she was pregnant and nearing parturition, contracted cold-damage disease, with internal accumulation leading to stomach excess, a critical condition. Therefore, she was prescribed a modified version of Finger Citron Powder combined with Stomach-Regulating Purgative Decoction:

Chinese Angelica 1.5 taels, Sichuan Lovage Rhizome 3 qian, Liquorice Root 1.5 qian, Jinwen 2 qian, Mirabilite 2 qian (to be taken infused separately). She was instructed to take one dose. After taking it, she had half a bowl of bowel movement by midnight, and by the next morning, her consciousness cleared, she gave birth to a boy, ate half a bowl of porridge, and slept soundly.

The patient, nearing parturition, suddenly contracted cold-damage disease, and due to food injury (dyspepsia), pathogenic heat transformed into dryness, resulting in yangming fu-organ pattern. At that time, dry stool was near the anus, and the fetus was at the parturition gate, mutually obstructing. The stomach and intestines lost their alternating emptiness and fullness, so qi movement could not go up and down, how could she defecate and give birth! The choice of Stomach-Regulating Purgative Decoction aimed at mild purgation, not harming the fetus, with Mirabilite in the formula being salty and cold to moisten dryness and soften hardness, and roasted licorice to moderate the drastic purgative nature of Rhubarb Rhizoma. Also, Finger Citron Powder is Chuanxiong and Danggui Decoction. Danxi said, for inducing labor, only Finger Citron Powder is used, the most stable and also the fastest. Therefore, the selection and modification of the two formulas precisely matched the condition.