典藏书目

Medicine is a benevolent art. Yet, if one has the art but lacks benevolence, a greedy physician can mislead the world; if one has benevolence but lacks the art, an incompetent physician can cause death. The ancients said, "Not prescribing medicine is considered the practice of a middle-tier physician." I have witnessed many such physicians over the years and often felt indignant. Whenever I encounter a good prescription for emergency rescue, I do not hesitate to spend money to purchase and distribute it.

Now, in the fourth month of the Gui Chou year (1853), I happened to hear that a friend in Foshan had a young son suffering from an illness. The physician treated him with wind-dispelling drugs, which resulted in convulsions of the four limbs and deviation of the mouth and eyes, with life hanging by a thread. Suddenly, a good prescription was obtained. After one dose, symptoms slightly improved; after three doses, the patient recovered completely. Another person suffered from hemiplegia (stroke with paralysis) for more than ten years. Upon obtaining a good prescription, their ability to walk returned to normal. I found this very remarkable. After repeated inquiries, I learned that both prescriptions came from the book *Yi Lin Gai Cuo* (Correction of Errors in Medical Forest). I searched everywhere for this book, tried it multiple times with verified efficacy, and then studied it repeatedly during my spare time, gradually grasping its profound meaning. I privately sigh that the creation of this book is like overturning old cases of thousands of years, correcting errors, and resolving flaws; it is indeed a rare treasure of the world. Is this not the pinnacle of refined medical skill and utmost benevolence?

I could not bear to keep it secret, so I immediately published it for the public, enabling modern people to understand the reality of Zang-Fu organs and meridians, thereby avoiding mistakes by incompetent physicians, and not failing Mr. Wang Xunchen's decades of heartfelt dedication to saving the world. I hope gentlemen of like-mindedness will not regard this as an ordinary charitable book. It would be my great fortune! My great fortune!

Recorded by Zhang Runpo of Shuntian in mid-summer of the Xianfeng Gui Chou year (1853).

In the autumn of the Ding Wei year (1847), while residing in Wumen (Suzhou), my fellow townsman Jiao Junwen visited me, holding a complete diagram of the Zang-Fu organs, which was the manuscript of Mr. Wang Xunchen's *Yi Lin Gai Cuo*. Some asked: Since the viscera are identical in all humans, does Xunchen deviating from ancient diagrams to transmit new ones imply showing off uniqueness and establishing novelty? The answer is: No, not at all. Ancient diagrams transmitted errors, whereas Xunchen's diagrams transmit truth. Regarding right and wrong in the principles of the world, hearing about emptiness is inferior to seeing reality; seeing little leads to illusion, while seeing much confirms reality. The ancients derived knowledge from executed criminals, whereas Xunchen obtained it from personally observing hundreds of individuals, dedicating decades of spirit to correcting errors left for millennia. This is like a bell ringing in the clear night or a blow on the head, awakening all those who are dreaming. Medical books are numerous enough to fill carts and fill houses with oxen; are they all verifiable? However, unless one is a skilled reader with unique insight, one will ultimately be confined by the ancients and secretly deceived. Mencius said, "Regarding the records of Wucheng, I took only two or three bamboo slips." Wucheng refers to Zhou dynasty texts, and Mencius himself was from the Zhou period. Even contemporary books cannot be fully trusted, let alone those from distant eras. This book establishes theories through diagrams, formulates prescriptions to treat adverse conditions, possesses exquisite principles and outstanding insights, is unprecedented, and can be called a meritorious official to the Yellow Emperor, as well as a respected friend of Changsha (referring to Zhang Zhongjing).

Furthermore, I heard that Ye Tianshi's *Zhi Nan* contains the theory that "long-term diseases enter the collaterals," which Xu Dachun opposed, unaware that entering the collaterals implies blood stasis. Now, Xunchen clarifies this plainly, making the theory of entering collaterals in *Zhi Nan* even clearer. Friend Wang Weizhi of the publishing house saw it, liked it greatly, and commissioned woodblock printing to publish it to the world. He is truly one who can record and disseminate good books. Therefore, this preface.

Recorded by Liu Birong, humble scholar Xiaochuangshi from Shangyuan, on the Mid-Autumn Festival of the Daoguang Wu Shen year (1848).