典藏书目

A woman in her forties suffered from pain on the forehead side and above the ear, commonly known as hemianopia headache (pian tou tong). This condition persisted for five to seven years. Each time the pain occurred, her stool was dry and hard like a small ball, her eyes were red, and she experienced dizziness, blurred vision, and difficulty focusing on distant objects. She had taken several doses of medicines commonly used for wind-headache, such as Bingzi Fengyao, Bailong Wan, and Xiongxī Wan. Although the pain slightly improved, her constipation worsened, and her vision became more blurred. She had undergone thousands of acupuncture and moxibustion treatments on her head. Continuous moxibustion over the years nearly blinded her, and she failed to bear children due to this illness. One day, she consulted Dairen (Zhang Congzheng). Dairen examined her pulses at both wrists, finding them rapid, frequent, and forceful, indicating severe wind-heat. I have recognized this pattern for forty or fifty years; observing patients with eye disorders, regardless of gender, those suffering from lateral or frontal headaches invariably present with dry, obstructed, and hardened stools. There is no other reason for this. The pain located at the forehead angle involves the Sanjiao (Triple Burner) ministerial fire meridian and an excess of Yangming dryness-metal qi. When dryness-metal is excessive, it overacts on the Liver, causing Liver Qi stagnation. Stagnant Liver Qi leads to Qi and Blood congestion, which obstructs the free flow of Qi and Blood upward and downward, resulting in internal dryness accumulation, eventually leading to blindness. The treatment employed Dachengqi Tang (Major Order the Qi Decoction), decocted in river water. Three qian of the herbal residue were boiled, one qian of Mangxiao (Natrii Sulfas) was added, and the remaining liquid was consumed warm in one dose, divided into three to five servings, taken continuously. This purged the filth, stagnation, and dry heat accumulation in the intestines. The excrement flowed out like boiling water, with more than twenty bowel movements. Subsequently, Qixuan Wan (Seven Purge Pills) and Shengong Wan (Divine Merit Pills) were administered to moisten the bowels, along with spinach, mallow vegetables, and soups made from pig and sheep blood to lubricate the intestines. Every five to seven days, or ten days, provided the weather was clear, Dachengqi Tang was given again, with one full prescription taken overnight. This exemplifies the principle that "pain diminishes with relief." After three prescriptions, her vision cleared, her head felt light, the dryness and accumulation were resolved, and she ultimately bore three children.

A man in his sixties suffered from pain in the lower back, sacrum, spine, and hips, which persisted for several years without cure. He was calm during the day but restless at night, experiencing recurrent severe pain, and frequently contemplated suicide to end his life prematurely. Pain flared up morning and evening, requiring him to be beaten by others until dawn when it gradually subsided and stopped by sunrise. Both the patient and those around him attributed the pain to yin retribution by spirits or the biting of the White Tiger. They prayed morning and night, and the arrival of shamans, monks, Taoists, and exorcists temporarily alleviated the pain. He also dreamed of battles between ghosts and gods. He sacrificed to mountains, rivers, and temples without omission. Over the prolonged course of the disease, he emaciated, his skin dried, his appetite decreased, and his anger increased daily, awaiting death. A scholar remarked, "If this is indeed retribution by spirits or the bite of the White Tiger, why has none of your prayers been answered? I hear there is Zhang Dairen in Chen Commandery who excels in medicine. You may ask him about these spirits and the disease. If his methods fail, then accept fate." His family agreed. Dairen palpated his pulses at both wrists, finding them deep, stagnant, firm, and strong, resembling a drawn bowstring. He said, "Although you are thin and have difficulty eating, the pain in your lower back, sacrum, spine, and hips indicates that your stool must be hard and dry." The attendants replied, "Every five to six days, or eight to nine days, we pass one or two pieces of dry feces, as hard as balls, indescribably tough. We have even dug them out. After passing one or two such hard masses, the whole body becomes dry and itchy, with skin wrinkling and drying like bran." Having determined the deficiency and excess nature of the disease, Dairen immediately prescribed Dachengqi Tang (Major Order the Qi Decoction), decocted with ginger and jujube, adding two qian of the powder from the first batch of Qianniuzi (Pharbitidis Semen). He dared not explicitly state that this was a purgative. Patients generally welcome warming tonics but fear cold purgatives; they comply with tonification but resist purgation. This bias has existed for a long time. Moreover, one person's influence is easily swayed by the clamor of many. Once decocted, the medicine was swallowed while slightly warm, starting with a small amount and increasing gradually over three days. By evening, the bowels discharged four or five times, totaling about half a basin. Inspected by lamplight, the excrement consisted of dry feces, hardened masses, and clotted blood mixed with visceral debris, so foul that it could not be approached. In an instant, the pain decreased by ninety percent. He fell into a deep sleep, and his breathing became regular like that of a healthy person. He woke up late the next afternoon, felt hungry, and asked for porridge, which was given at a lukewarm temperature. He slept another one or two days, after which the pain completely disappeared. Dietary regulation followed, with daily administration of Daoyin Wan (Guiding and Pulling Pills) and Ganlu San (Sweet Dew Powder), along with herbs to lubricate urination and defecation. It took more than forty days for him to recover. Alas! Who created the transmitted texts on Thirty-Six Tigers, Thirty-Six Yellows, and the pediatric Thirty-Six Hanging methods? May the originator of such practices leave no descendants! In ancient times, physicians were respected as teachers, so the Way of Medicine flourished. Today, people treat physicians as slaves, so the Way of Medicine declines. Ambitious scholars feel ashamed to study it, and patients do not discriminate between skilled and unskilled practitioners, treating all alike. It is common to see official physicians greeting and seeing off officials, bowing and acknowledging commands before their horses, which is truly shameful. Consequently, few are well-versed in both contemporary and classical knowledge, and the lineage of transmission is broken. The *Lingshu Jing* states: "Even if needling and sweating therapies have been applied for a long time, errors can still be rectified; even if obstruction and closure persist for a long time, they can still be resolved and released." The elimination of pain in the lower back, spine, and hips involves the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian. Hip pain involves the Foot-Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. The *Nan Jing* states: "All pain belongs to excess." The *Neijing* states: "All pain, itching, sores, and ulcers belong to Heart Fire." The commentary notes: "When the Heart is tranquil, pain is mild; when the Heart is agitated, pain is severe." People observe that the arrival of shamans and exorcists slightly alleviates symptoms because it calms the Heart. However, removing the secondary effects does not eliminate the root cause. The ancients stated, "Pain diminishes with relief"; without relief, how can pain be removed? After recovery, the patient lived to be eighty years old. Therefore, all dryness syndromes belong to the Three Yang diseases.