今之论医者曰。中医善治内证。西医长于外科。询其何以知其然也。则曰。西医精解剖断截湔洗。目为常事耳。是
言也。谓目下之中医则可。谓古昔之中医则不可。盖古之医师类多解此。扁鹊华佗。尤其着者。试读山西医学杂志。（纂
辑中西解剖病理）一通。当知吾言之非妄。然斯妙法神技。何为不传至今日而与西人颉颃耶。曰守秘而已。
余谓中医之日渐陵替。西医之月异日新。其因虽有种种。而守秘与公开。实为至大之原。盖学理以研究而愈明。方
剂以试用而的知。设有新理长方。惟知自秘。不肯公布。微特不能更有发明。即此一端。亦必终归湮没。吾国医界。不
明乎此。以致古医麻醉刳剥之术。失传于后世。反使西医后进。矜炫其法。抚今思昔。能毋慨欤。为今之计。亟宜开诚
布公。相互研求。一扫向日守秘之恶习。则中华医学。庶有豸乎。
凌师晓五。有清吴郡之名医也。学问渊博。精验宏富。家藏医书。奚啻万卷。胥熟读精思。舍短取长。故为人治病。
辄多奇效。惜冗于诊务。乏暇着述。所作仅数种耳。《医学薪传》。《饲鹤亭集方》。已由哲嗣合刊流传。尚有《方外奇方》。
《凌临灵方》。《本草害利》等书。未付剞劂。今岁裘公有三三医书之创刊。圭思中医外科之见拙于人。长由外科佳籍鲜
于流通所致。奚将凌师方外奇方一书。商诸裘公。编入印行。并缀数语。以告世医。至本书所列各方。实凌氏一生经验
之所萃。用者自知其妙无待不佞之喋喋也。
民国十三祀四月。沈仲圭谨序。
当今谈论医学的人说：“中医擅长治疗内科疾病，西医长于外科。”询问他们为什么知道是这样，回答说：“西医精通解剖、截肢、清洗伤口，这被视为平常之事罢了。”这种说法，用来形容当下的中医是可以的，但用来形容古代的中医就不对了。大概古代的医师大多懂得这些技术，扁鹊和华佗，就是其中特别著名的代表。试着读一读《山西医学杂志》（编纂了中西解剖病理内容）的一期，就会明白我的话并非虚妄。然而，这些奇妙的技术和神技，为什么不传承到今天，反而与西方人抗衡呢？回答是：因为守口如瓶（保密）罢了。
我认为中医日渐衰落，西医日新月异，其原因虽然有种种，但“保守秘密”与“公开交流”，实在是最大的根源。大概医学原理通过研究而更加明晰，方剂通过试用而确切知晓。假设有新的理论和新的方剂，只知道自我保密，不肯公布于世，这不仅不能有所发明创造，即使仅就这一点而言，也必然最终归于湮没。我国的医界不明白这个道理，导致古代医生麻醉、剖剥的技术失传于后世，反而让西医的后进之辈夸耀炫耀他们的技术。回顾现在，思考过去，能不感慨吗？为今之计，亟需开诚布公，相互研究探求，一扫往日保守秘密的恶习，那么中华医学，或许就有希望了。
凌晓五老师，是清代苏州郡的名医。学问渊博，经验验证丰富且宏大。家中收藏的医书，何止万卷，都熟读并深入思考，舍弃短处，吸取长处，所以为人治病，往往多有奇效。可惜他忙于诊疗事务，没有闲暇著书立说，所创作的只有几种而已。《医学薪传》、《饲鹤亭集方》，已经由他的儿子合刊流传。还有《方外奇方》、《凌临灵方》、《本草害利》等书，尚未刻印出版。今年裘公创办了三三医书，考虑到中医外科之所以显得笨拙于人，长久以来是因为优秀的外科书籍很少流通所致。于是将凌老师的《方外奇方》一书，与裘公商量，编入并印刷发行，并写上几句话，以告知世间的医生。至于本书所列的各个方剂，实际上是凌氏一生经验的精华聚集，使用者自然知道其奥妙，不需要我多嘴多舌。
民国十三年四月，沈仲圭恭敬作序。
Those who discuss medicine today say: "Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) excels in treating internal diseases, while Western medicine is proficient in surgery." When asked how they know this, the reply is: "Western medicine is precise in anatomy, amputation, and wound debridement; these are considered routine matters." This statement may apply to contemporary TCM, but it cannot be applied to ancient TCM. In fact, physicians of old were mostly versed in such skills. Bian Que and Hua Tuo are particularly notable examples. If one reads an issue of the *Shanxi Medical Journal* (which compiles中西 anatomical and pathological knowledge), one will realize that my words are not baseless. However, why did these miraculous methods and divine techniques not survive to the present day to compete with Westerners? The answer lies in secrecy.
I believe that the gradual decline of TCM and the日新月异 (rapid daily changes) development of Western medicine have various causes, but the dichotomy between "secrecy" and "openness" is the most significant factor. Medical theories become clearer through research, and prescriptions are validated through clinical trial. If new theories and formulas are kept secret rather than published, not only will no further innovations occur, but even existing knowledge will inevitably fade into oblivion. Our nation's medical community fails to understand this, leading to the loss of ancient anesthesia and dissection techniques in later generations, while allowing Western practitioners to boast about their methods. Reflecting on the present and contemplating the past, can one help but sigh? The current solution is to act with sincerity and openness, engage in mutual research, and eradicate the bad habit of secrecy. Only then might there be hope for Chinese medicine.
Master Ling Xiaowu was a renowned physician in Suzhou during the Qing Dynasty. He possessed profound learning and rich, verified clinical experience. His family collection of medical books numbered in the tens of thousands, all of which he studied thoroughly and reflected upon deeply, discarding shortcomings and adopting strengths. Consequently, his treatments often yielded miraculous effects. Regrettably, burdened by clinical duties, he lacked time for writing, producing only a few works. *Medical Heritage* (*Yixue Xinchuan*) and *Collected Prescriptions from the Crane-Feeding Pavilion* (*Si Heting Jifang*) have been compiled and circulated by his son. Other works, including *Extraordinary Prescriptions Beyond the World* (*Fangwai Qifang*), *Ling Lin Ling Fang*, and *Benefits and Harms of Materia Medica* (*Bencao Haili*), remain unpublished. This year, Mr. Qiu launched the *San San Medical Books* series. Considering that TCM surgery appears inferior largely due to the scarcity of circulating excellent surgical texts, I consulted Mr. Qiu regarding Master Ling's *Extraordinary Prescriptions Beyond the World*, arranging for its compilation and publication, adding a few words to inform practicing physicians. The prescriptions listed in this book represent the culmination of Master Ling's lifelong experience. Users will appreciate their efficacy without need for my verbose explanations.
Prefaced respectfully by Shen Zhonggui in the fourth month of the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924).