典藏书目

(Ye Tianshi) could not bear to stand by and do nothing, so he invited a pediatrician for consultation. The pediatrician prescribed medicine, and my illness was indeed cured. The pediatrician was quite pleased with himself and said to his family: "Although the old gentleman's medical skills are high, he is not a specialist after all. He lacks clinical experience and misjudged the condition as an adverse prognosis." His son and daughter-in-law were also very grateful to him, believing that their father was indeed inferior to this gentleman. Upon hearing this, Ye Tianshi said to him: "Has your son's smallpox really recovered? This is due to Mr. [Ye]'s efforts. You should host a banquet and hire actors to perform plays to repay his labor." Thus, the man sent an invitation, and the pediatrician attended in full ceremonial dress. All the guests expressed joy. However, the pediatrician frowned and said, "I fear this joy will not last until the end of the feast." At first, no one understood. When the banquet began, upon the sound of gongs and drums, the child cried out loudly and then died. Ye Tianshi happily said, "I knew from the beginning that he would surely die." The pediatrician, ashamed, asked for the reason. Ye Tianshi replied: "This child had weak congenital constitution and deep pathogenic qi invasion; the toxin could not reach the exterior. Now, within less than twenty days, it forced a scabbing over. What was discharged was merely the toxin of the Yangming channel. The toxin latent in the Kidney channel remained inactive. Hearing the loud noise caused heart fright. Once the Heart Fire moved, it pressed inward on the Kidney Water. Water and Fire clashed mutually, the toxin was instantly triggered, and could no longer be controlled." The pediatrician retreated in shame, and everyone then acknowledged his brilliance.

Furthermore, Doctor Wang Huizhao of our county was renowned at the time, with seekers of treatment coming from all directions. One day, while walking in the suburbs with his servant, he saw a woman weeding in a field across a stream. Wang stared at her for a long time, then turned to his servant and said: "You can wade across the stream barefoot, smear mud and water on your face, suddenly approach, firmly grasp the woman's hand, and pretend to drag her into the water. Let her cry out; do not let go." The servant said, "There are farmers within a hundred paces who will hear the noise and come to rescue; it may be difficult to escape." Wang said, "With me here, there will be no harm." The servant did as instructed. The woman was terrified and called for help loudly. Her father came running wildly with a stick. Wang suddenly stopped them and said, "Is this your daughter? She is about to develop smallpox. Without this shock, there is no chance of survival. In three days, spots will definitely appear, verifying my words." Although her father did not fully believe him, he admired Wang's reputation and waited. As predicted, it happened exactly as stated. They urgently invited him to diagnose and asked for the reason. Wang said, "This is a disease of the Kidney channel. Sudden shock can cause the pathogen to shift to the Heart channel; now there is no danger." He then prescribed a formula, and she recovered in less than twenty days. Someone asked: "Both cases originated from the Kidney channel; one died due to fright, and the other survived due to shock. Why did both predictions prove accurate?" I said: "Ye Zi was young and physically weak. With heavy pathogenic invasion, righteous Qi could not overcome the evil, so the toxin ultimately could not reach the exterior. Therefore, once it erupted, death ensued. The village girl had a robust body and vigorous Qi; upon eruption, it could penetrate outward. The eruption itself induced fright, which served to hasten its release. However, only Ye Tianshi could determine the certainty of death at the initial stage, and Wang Huizhao could apply methods before the eruption. Only those with extensive experience (literally: 'three broken arms') could achieve such results!"

The ancients used water and fire to treat diseases, with effects as rapid as moxibustion or hot compresses; such practices still exist today. Using water to treat illness is rare in the world. According to records from the Later Han Dynasty, a woman lay ill for a year with no effect from various medicines. Hua Tuo instructed her to sit in a stone trough and pour cold water over her head, stating it should be done one hundred times. By half way, she was shivering violently, nearly dying. The person pouring the water feared and wanted to stop, but Hua Tuo refused. At seventy times, she felt warmth rising, followed by breath like a steamer and water boiling like soup. After one hundred pours, she was covered with thick warm blankets and slept. Upon waking, her illness had vanished. Additionally, *History of the Southern Dynasties* records General Fang Boyu, who suffered illness from taking Five-Mineral Powder, often feeling cold and shivering, wearing fur coats even in summer. Xu Sibai diagnosed it as latent heat requiring dispersion through water, but insisted it must be winter. In November, when water dripped into ice, at dawn, Fang Boyu was ordered to undress and sit on a stone. Fresh cold water was poured from his head down. Twenty hu were exhausted; he became rigid and apneic. His family wept and begged to stop, but Xu Sibai scolded them angrily. After one hundred hu were poured, Fang Boyu could move again. Gas bubbled from his back, and he soon sat up saying, "The heat is unbearable." He begged for cold drinks. Xu Sibai gave him one sheng of water, and the illness instantly healed. Thereafter, his limbs were always warm, and he wore single clothes even in winter. Li Shizhen stated: "These are all cases of latent heat. When Fire is constrained, it must be dispersed. The reason for choosing winter is that after the Winter Solstice, Yang Qi resides internally. Dawn is also when Yang Qi is just flourishing. Using cold to restrain it causes the trapped heat to accumulate to an extreme and then erupt." The *Mi Zhen Shen Ling Yan Pian* states: "Someone suffering from wind-disease dug a pit, undressed, and sat inside. Hot water was poured over him. After a long time, he was covered with a bamboo mat. Sweating occurred, and he was cured." Zong Shi said: "For sudden diarrhea in any season, with cold limbs and abdominal pain, having the patient sit in hot water immersed up to the abdomen, frequently rubbing, produces yang Qi faster than any other medicine. Both cases use water to treat disease; although one uses cold and the other heat, the principle is the same."

Spider venom is more potent than that of snakes and scorpions. I once saw a maid in a friend's house whose left arm was bitten by a spider. It swelled like a jar, causing extreme pain and fainting. Someone suggested administering wine mixed with sheep's blood to induce drunken sleep for a day and night, after which the swelling subsided. Liu Yuxi's *Chuan Xin Fang* records that Censor Zhang Yanshang was bitten on the neck by a spotted spider. Initially unnoticed, by the next morning his head was as large as a bucket, with two red stripes winding under the neck to the chest, nearly fatal. A Daoist priest took juice from Isatis root, added Moschus (She Xiang) and Realgar (Xiong Huang), threw the spider in, which dissolved into water. He then applied the juice to the bite site, and it healed completely in two days. *Ben Cao* states that spiders can counteract centipede and snake bites, indicating their toxicity. Ancient formulas include Zhizu San (Spider Powder), utilizing its ability to calm winds of darkness to treat Yin hernia. Wang Jinshan of Wu Men in *Gu Fang Xuan Zhu* notes: "Spiders are toxic, and people fear them. However, Lin Ying, magistrate of Changyi and native of Shanhaiwei, used them frequently in tonifying prescriptions during his prime without harm. Those claiming toxicity may refer to differences in origin between North and South. Natural counteractions are often inexplicable; knowing these counteractions can save lives in emergencies." A neighbor's child was stung by a swarm of bees, swelling rapidly. Someone advised applying mashed taro, which resolved the swelling. Shen Kuo's *Bi Tan* records that recluse Liu Yang, living in Mount Wangwu, often saw a spider bitten by a bee fall to the ground, its belly distended like a drum about to burst. It slowly walked into the fields, chewed taro stems, and rubbed the wound against them. After a while, the belly subsided. Thus, using taro to treat bee stings may originate from this observation.

In the early Qianlong era, a gentry member in the prefectural city suffered from abdominal pain accompanied by syncope upon onset, in critical condition. Doctors from all directions were hired, and all medicines tried, yet none worked. A notice was posted on the main street offering a thousand taels of silver for a cure. During the annual examination, scholars gathered in the city. Zhou, a scholar from Jinyi, loved gambling. After the exam, he lost all his modest savings. Failing the exam and losing his place among peers, he was stranded in a clan guesthouse, wanting to return home but unable to. He dreamed of his deceased teacher, who said, "You have been admitted; your trip was not in vain." Zhou replied, "The results were published yesterday; I was not selected. Does the Master not know?" The teacher said, "Your name is on the red slip." Just as Zhou was about to ask further, the teacher abruptly stood and said, "Go check the list quickly." Zhou woke up, thinking it a delusion. Bored the next morning, he went to the Examination Hall and saw a red slip next to the list. It was an invitation from an official seeking a doctor. Thinking he had no other way home, he decided to try his luck. He went to examine the patient, falsely claiming that decoctions could not treat this condition, but his handmade spiritual pill would be effective. He promised to return the next day. Back at his lodging, he pondered how to fake a pill. Pacing outside, he saw a half-rotten hemp sack by the wall. He sealed it with yellow earth, burned it to ash, divided it into several packets, and carried them in his sleeve. He told the host, "Take one dose every two hours. Within three doses, the illness will heal. But this is not common pharmacy stock; it is expensive. You must pay some advance." The host said, "If effective, I will not spare rewards, but I cannot pay in advance." Reluctantly, Zhou returned home. The next day, several capable servants arrived carrying gold. They said, "Sir's miraculous medicine worked. After three doses yesterday, he vomited a blood clot, and the abdominal pain ceased immediately. Please accept this humble reward and re-examine." Zhou said, "The root of the illness is gone; rest will bring peace. No more medicine is needed. I have urgent business and must leave. Please decline further visits for me." At that time, Yang Jiemei of our county, renowned nationally, was invited by the gentry to manage the recovery. He praised Zhou's skill as divine. Yang ordered the vomited matter to be washed clean and placed in clear water. Soon, it wriggled and stretched to four or five cun—it was a leech. Yang said, "It must have been swallowed with drinking water. Fortunately, it had not reproduced, so it could be expelled entirely." Privately admiring Zhou's technique, Yang visited him incognito, bowing respectfully as a disciple. Zhou was startled, saying, "Who does not respect your medical Dao? I lack learning; how dare I accept this?" Yang said, "I wish to hear how you diagnosed and cured the gentry member's illness." Seeing his sincerity, Zhou confessed truthfully. Yang asked, "Do you still have the sack ash?" Zhou produced the remaining ash. Yang tasted it and said, "Yes, this is salt ash. Salt kills leeches, hence the efficacy."

Anciently, Fangfeng Zhou (Saposhnikovia Porridge) was made by infusing oils from Zhenzhu Lan (Platanthera chlorantha), Suijin (Acorus tatarinowii?), and Xi Qu (Rhino horn substitute?) into five-spice rice porridge. One bowl cost one tael of gold. When Bai Juyi was in the Hanlin Academy, the Emperor once granted him a cup. Eating it kept his breath fragrant for seven days, claimed to dispel wind and dampness. This reflects the intention of using aromatic herbs to drive out dampness.

According to *Liangzhou Zaji*, malt vinegar can dissolve shellfish-like foods. I recall *Shuo Bu* recording a youth who constantly saw a mirror in his vision. The physician said he ate too much sugar, causing fish scales to form in the chest, leading to visual disturbances. A bottle of mustard vinegar was prescribed to be drunk on an empty stomach, curing the illness. Another case involved someone choked by a fishbone, nearly unable to eat or drink, who was relieved by consuming malt syrup. These proofs confirm that malt vinegar dissolving shellfish-like substances is credible.

Wandering physicians selling medicine in markets claim to cure one disease per day. While not always true, they sometimes succeed. Li Bo, a fish merchant in our county outside the East Gate, claimed that in his childhood, he had several small sores on the dorsum of his foot, causing little pain, which he ignored. One summer day, sitting barefoot at the door, a wandering physician looked at him and said, "This is not a skin disease. Toxin has been latent in the Yangming channel for a long time. It must be released externally. If untreated, intestinal abscess will develop, and this foot will be crippled." His father angrily cursed him away. Within a month, the illness erupted. Medical treatment lasted half a year to recover, and the foot was indeed crippled. This shows that wandering practitioners of Fuyou (exorcism/chanting), though often deceiving people with minor tricks for money, can sometimes achieve results for chronic diseases unresponsive to conventional medicine using talismans and herbs. Thus, they are not entirely baseless.