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Newborn or young child. In examining infants, special attention is paid to the head. A head that is unusually small or large generally indicates depletion of kidney essence or an insufficiency of the congenital constitution that may be accompanied by water-rheum. A depressed fontanel indicates yīn humor depletion, whereas a bulging fontanel indicates acute or chronic fright-wind (see fonantel). Failure of the cranial sutures to close and the inability to keep the head upright indicate an insufficiency of kidney essence and bone marrow vacuity. An uncontrollable shaking of the head indicates a wind disease. In infants, the difficulty of performing the pulse examination calls for the use of one finger instead of three, or its replacement with the finger examination. See infant’s finger examination; children’s diseases.

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