《内经》曰∶治之极于一，一者因得之。闭户塞牖，系之病者，数问其情，以从其意。得神者昌，失
神者亡。盖得其因，则能定其名；能定其名，则知所以治矣。夫病又有脉证之相应者，有不相应者，有病
久而重感于新病者，有外感风寒，而复内伤五志，病不以次入而乘传者，故当详审其受病之因，所病之
苦，察其志意得失，神气存亡，饮食嗜欲，居处房劳，参合脉证，以意逆之，然又不可惑于病家之言而
无果断也。予治一少年，伤寒三四日，头痛，发热，胸痛不可按。病家曰∶三日前因食面而致病者。予
曰∶不然。面饭粮食，何日不食，盖因外感风寒，以致内停饮食，非因食面而为头痛、发热者。故凡停食
感寒，只宜解表，不可推食。如里气一松，外邪即陷入矣。夫食停于内，在胸下胃脘间接之而痛，今胸上痛
不可按，此必误下而成结胸。病家云∶昨延某师，告以食面之因，医用消食之药，以致胸中大痛。予诊视
外证尚有，仍用桂枝汤加减，一服而愈。又一邻女，年十三四，始出痘，至七八日，浆尚未化，医措药
竟。其父云∶家中事务，俱是此女料理，平日极辛苦者。医闻之，复大加黄 、白术，服后甚觉不安。次
日，医知误投 、术，复用清谅解毒，角刺、甲片攻之，毒不能化，遂成不救。此皆惑于病家之言，不能
主持过耳！聊记此二者，以为听言之鉴。
《黄帝内经》说：治疗的最高原则在于“一”，这个“一”就是探求病因。关上窗户，专注于病人，详细询问病情，顺从病人的心意（以便了解真实情况）。神气充沛的就能康复，神气丧失的就会死亡。既然得到了病因，就能确定病名；确定了病名，就知道如何治疗了。
疾病又有脉象与症状相符合的，也有不相符合的；有患病日久又新感外邪的；有外感风寒，同时又内伤情志（五志），疾病不按常规次序传变而乘虚侵袭脏腑的。因此应当详细审察致病的原因、病人所受的痛苦，观察其意志情志的得失、神气的存亡，以及饮食嗜好、居住环境和房劳过度等情况，结合脉象和症状，用心推究分析。但是，又不能因为被家属的话所迷惑而缺乏果断的判断力。
我曾治疗一个少年，患伤寒症三四天，头痛，发热，胸部疼痛且拒绝按压。家属说：“三天前是因为吃了面条才导致生病的。”我说：“不对。面食是粮食，哪一天不吃呢？这大概是因为外感风寒，导致体内停积了饮食，并不是因为吃面条而导致头痛、发热的。所以凡是食积兼感寒邪，只应当解表散邪，不能归咎于食物。如果里气一旦松弛，外邪就会陷入体内。”
食物停滞在体内，通常在胸下胃脘部按之则痛。现在胸部上方疼痛且不可按压，这一定是误用攻下法而导致的结胸证。家属说：“昨天请了某位医生，告知他是因吃面条致病，医生用了消食的药物，导致胸部剧烈疼痛。”我诊视后发现外在表证依然存在，仍然使用桂枝汤加减治疗，服一次药就好了。
又有一个邻居家的女孩，十三四岁，刚开始出痘疹，到了七八天，痘浆还没有化脓成熟，医生用药草率结束治疗。她的父亲说：“家里的事情都是这个女儿操持，平时非常辛苦。”医生听说后，又大量加入黄芪、白术（补气药）。服用后病人感到非常不安。第二天，医生知道误用了黄芪、白术，又改用清凉解毒、穿山甲片等药物来攻毒，但毒邪不能化解，最终导致不治身亡。这些都是被家属的话所迷惑，不能坚持正确判断罢了！姑且记录这两件事，作为听取言论时的借鉴。
The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: The ultimate principle of treatment lies in "one," and this "one" is the acquisition of the cause. Close the doors and windows, focus on the patient, repeatedly inquire about their condition, and follow their intent to understand their true state. Those who possess Shen spirit (vital spirit/consciousness) will prosper; those who lose it will perish. Once the cause is obtained, the name of the disease can be determined; once the name is determined, the method of treatment becomes known.
Diseases may present with pulse and symptoms that correspond or do not correspond. There are cases where a long-standing illness is compounded by a new pathogenic invasion, or where external contraction of Wind-Cold is accompanied by internal injury to the Five Emotions (Wu Zhi), causing the disease to invade and transmit organs out of its usual sequence. Therefore, one must carefully examine the cause of the disease, the suffering endured, observe the gain or loss of will and intention, the presence or absence of Shen spirit, dietary preferences, living conditions, and sexual exertion. These factors should be integrated with pulse and symptom analysis for deductive reasoning. However, one must not be confused by the words of the patient's family and lose decisiveness.
I once treated a young man who had suffered from Shanghan (Cold Damage) for three or four days, presenting with headache, fever, and chest pain that was intolerable to pressure. The family stated: "Three days ago, he fell ill after eating noodles." I said: "Incorrect. Noodles are grain food; why would one stop eating them? This is likely due to external contraction of Wind-Cold leading to internal stagnation of food, rather than the noodles causing the headache and fever. Therefore, in cases of food retention combined with cold contraction, only exterior-releasing methods should be used; one should not blame the food. If the interior Qi becomes loose, the external pathogen will sink inward."
Food stagnating internally typically causes pain upon palpation in the epigastrium below the chest. Now, since the pain is above the chest and intolerable to pressure, this must be Jie Xiong (Chest Binding/Constraint) resulting from erroneous purgation. The family reported: "Yesterday, another physician was consulted. Upon being told the cause was eating noodles, he prescribed digestive-resolving medicines, which resulted in severe chest pain." Upon examination, I found that the exterior syndromes were still present. I therefore used Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) with modifications. After one dose, he recovered.
Another case involved a neighbor's girl, aged thirteen or fourteen, who had just begun to develop smallpox. By the seventh or eighth day, the pustules had not yet matured into pus, and the physician had carelessly concluded the treatment. Her father said: "All household affairs are managed by this daughter; she works extremely hard daily." Hearing this, the physician added large doses of Huangqi (Astragali Radix) and Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma). After ingestion, the patient felt very uncomfortable. The next day, realizing the error of administering Huangqi and Baizhu, the physician switched to cooling, detoxifying agents and used Cornu Asii (Asiatic Unicorn Horn) and Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum (Turtle Shell and Plastron) to attack the toxin. However, the toxin could not be resolved, leading to an untreatable condition. These cases all stem from being misled by the family's words and failing to maintain independent judgment. I record these two instances as a warning for listening to others' accounts.