论曰∶夫痈疽初发如微，人多不以为急，此实奇患，唯宜速治之，治之不速，病成难救
，以此致祸能不痛哉。且述所怀以悟后贤，谨按黄父痈疽论，论痈所着缓急之处，死生之期
如下∶
发皮肉浅肿高而赤，贴即消，不治亦愈。
发筋肉深肿下而坚，其色或青黄或白黑，或脱复微热而赤，宜急治之。成消中半发附骨
者，或未觉肉色已殃，已殃者痈疽之甚也。
发背外皮薄为痈，皮浓为疽，如此者多见先兆，宜急治之。皮坚甚大者多致祸也。
夫痈坏后有恶肉者，当以猪蹄汤洗去秽，次敷食肉膏散，恶肉尽，乃敷生肉膏散，及摩
四边，令善肉速生。当绝房室，慎风冷，勿自劳动，须筋脉平复乃可任意耳，不尔，新肉易
伤，伤则重溃，发则祸至，慎之慎之。
痈疽之发，未辨是非饥渴为始，始发之时，或发自疽，或似小疖，或复大痛，或复小痛
，或发米粒大白脓子，皆是微候，宜善察之。欲知是非，重按其处，是即便隐痛，复按四边，
比方得失审实之，是即灸。第一使灸其上二三百壮，又灸四边一二百壮，小者灸四边，中者
灸六处，大者灸八处，壮数不虑多也。亦应即薄贴，令得即消。内须服解毒冷药，令毒瓦斯出
外。外须薄贴热药，法当疮开其口，令泄热气故也。
凡痈按之大坚者未有脓，半坚半软者半有脓，当上薄者都有脓。有脓便可破之，不尔，
侵食筋骨也。
破之法，应在下递上破之，令脓易出，用铍针，脓深难见，肉浓而生者用火针，若不别
有脓者，可当其上数按之，内便隐痛，殃坚者未有脓泄去热气，不尔，长速则不良。
论说：痈疽在初发时症状轻微，人们往往不以为急迫，这实际上是严重的隐患，只应当迅速治疗。如果治疗不及时，病情形成后便难以救治，因此导致灾祸怎能不令人痛心呢？姑且陈述我的见解以启发后来的贤者，谨依据《黄父痈疽论》，论述痈疽发作的缓急之处以及死生的期限如下：
痈疽发于皮肉浅表，肿胀高起且颜色发红，贴敷药物即可消散，即使不治疗也能痊愈。
痈疽发于筋肉深层，肿胀下陷且质地坚硬，颜色或青黄、或白黑，或者皮肤脱落后又微热发红，应当紧急治疗。若发展成“消中半”（指脓液形成但未完全成熟）或附着于骨骼的痈疽，可能尚未察觉肌肉颜色已经败坏；一旦颜色败坏，就是痈疽中最严重的情况。
痈疽发于背部，外皮薄的是痈，外皮厚的是疽，这种情况多见先兆，应当紧急治疗。如果皮坚且范围很大，多会导致灾祸。
痈疽溃烂后有腐肉（恶肉）时，应当用猪蹄汤清洗去除污秽，然后敷上食肉膏散（促进腐肉脱落的药散），待腐肉排尽后，再敷上生肉膏散（促进新肉生长的药散），并按摩四周，使健康的新肉快速生长。期间应当禁绝房事，注意防风防寒，不要自我劳累，必须等到筋脉平复后才能随意活动，否则，新长出的肉容易受伤，受伤则会导致严重溃烂，一旦发作灾祸就会降临，务必谨慎再谨慎。
痈疽发作时，在未辨别是非之前，常以饥渴为起始征兆。刚发作时，有的发自疽，有的像小疖子，有的剧烈疼痛，有的轻微疼痛，有的发出米粒大小的白色脓点，这些都是微小的征候，应当仔细察辨。想要知道病情的虚实，用力按压患处，如果有隐痛即为实证；再按压四周，比较得失以审察核实，如果是实证就进行艾灸。首先在其顶部灸二三百壮，又在四周灸一二百壮，小的病灶灸四周，中等的灸六处，大的灸八处，艾炷的数量不必顾虑太多。同时也应立即贴敷膏药，使其能立即消散。内部需要服用解毒的寒凉药物，使毒气向外排出。外部需要贴敷温热性质的膏药，这是因为疮口开放是为了让热气泄出。
凡是痈疽，用手按压感觉大硬的是还没有脓，半硬半软的是半有脓，顶部变软的是全有脓。有脓就可以刺破它，否则，脓液会侵蚀筋骨。
刺破的方法，应当在下方由下向上递进刺破，使脓液容易流出。使用铍针（一种外科手术刀）；如果脓深难见，肉质厚实且致密，就用火针。如果不是另有积脓的情况，可以在其上方多次按压，内部若有隐痛，说明坚硬处没有脓，应泄去热气，否则，愈合速度过快反而不好。
Commentary: When carbuncles and sores (Yongju, 痈疽) first appear, the symptoms are slight, and people often do not consider them urgent. This is actually a grave danger; they should be treated promptly. If treatment is delayed, once the disease is established, it becomes difficult to save [the patient]. How can one not feel pain regarding the disasters caused by this? I hereby state my views to enlighten future scholars. Relying on the *Huangfu Carbuncle and Sore Treatise* (*Huangfu Yongju Lun*, 黄父痈疽论), I discuss the urgency of the onset of carbuncles and sores and the timing of death or survival as follows:
When a carbuncle or sore appears superficially in the skin and flesh, with swelling that is high and red, applying topical medication will cause it to dissipate; even without treatment, it may heal spontaneously.
When it appears deeply in the muscles and sinews, with swelling that is depressed and hard, and the color is either greenish-yellow, white-black, or if the skin sheds and then becomes slightly hot and red, it requires urgent treatment. If it develops into "Xiao Zhong Ban" (a stage where pus formation is partial/incomplete) or attaches to the bone, one might not yet perceive that the muscle color has deteriorated. Once the color deteriorates, it represents the most severe form of carbuncle and sore.
When appearing on the back, if the outer skin is thin, it is a carbuncle (Yong, 痈); if the outer skin is thick, it is a sore (Ju, 疽). Such cases often show prodromal signs and require urgent treatment. If the skin is very hard and the area is large, it often leads to disaster.
After a carbuncle or sore ulcerates and there is foul flesh (E Rou, 恶肉), one should wash away the filth using Pig Trotter Decoction (*Zhuti Tang*, 猪蹄汤), then apply Flesh-Eating Powder San (*Shirou Gao San*, 食肉膏散). Once the foul flesh is completely removed, apply Flesh-Generating Powder San (*Shengrou Gao San*, 生肉膏散) and massage the four sides to promote the rapid growth of healthy tissue. During this period, sexual intercourse must be abstained from, protection against wind and cold is essential, and self-exertion should be avoided. One may resume normal activities only after the sinews and vessels have recovered. Otherwise, the new flesh is easily injured; if injured, it leads to severe ulceration, and upon recurrence, disaster strikes. Be extremely cautious.
The onset of carbuncles and sores often begins with sensations of hunger and thirst before the nature of the condition is clear. At the initial stage, it may arise as a sore, resemble a small boil, cause severe pain, cause mild pain, or produce white pus grains the size of rice grains. These are all subtle signs that require careful observation. To determine the nature of the condition, press heavily on the affected area; if there is dull pain upon pressing, it indicates excess. Press the surrounding areas and compare the differences to verify the diagnosis. If confirmed as excess, apply moxibustion. First, apply two to three hundred moxa cones (Zhuang, 壮) on the top, and one to two hundred moxa cones on the four sides. For small lesions, moxa the four sides; for medium lesions, moxa six points; for large lesions, moxa eight points. Do not worry about the number of moxa cones being too many. Simultaneously, apply a thin plaster immediately to allow it to dissipate at once. Internally, administer cooling detoxifying medicines to expel the toxic qi outward. Externally, apply hot medicinal plasters because the opening of the wound allows the release of heat qi.
Generally, if a carbuncle or sore feels hard when pressed, there is no pus yet. If it is half-hard and half-soft, there is partial pus. If the top part becomes soft, there is full pus. If pus is present, it can be lanced; otherwise, the pus will erode the sinews and bones.
The method of lancing should proceed from the bottom upwards to facilitate the drainage of pus. Use a Pi Needle (Beizhen, 铍针 - a surgical knife-like instrument). If the pus is deep and difficult to see, or if the flesh is thick and dense, use fire needles. If there is no distinct accumulation of pus, one can press repeatedly on the top area; if there is dull pain internally, it indicates hardness without pus, and the heat qi should be vented. Otherwise, if healing occurs too quickly, it may be detrimental.