水痘者。色淡浆稀。故曰水痘。色赤者。曰赤痘。将发之时。亦皆发热。由红点而水泡。有
红盘。由水泡脓泡而结 。但水痘则皮薄色娇。赤痘则红润形软。总不似正痘之根窠圆净紧束也。
且见点起发灌浆结痂。止于五六日之间。其邪气之轻浅可知。皆由风热郁于肌表而发。小儿肌肉
嫩薄。尤多此证。当与大连翘汤解之。亦有夹疹而出者。有夹正痘而出者。若先水痘收后而发正
痘。其痘必轻。
痘本胎毒。根于先天。发则由于时气。以故沿门合境。安危相率。与疫疠传染无异。且多外
挟风寒。内停宿滞。及乎跌扑惊恐。为患种种。匪可意料。自伏波迄今。天生天杀。莫可谁何。
迩年有种痘之说。始自江右达于燕齐。近则遍行南北。详究其源。云自玄女降乩之方。专取痘气
熏蒸。发儿胎毒于安宁无病之时。则开发之机裕如。不似正痘之天人合发。内外合邪。两难分解
也。原其种痘之苗。别无他药。惟是盗取痘儿标粒之浆。收入棉内。纳儿鼻孔。女右男左。七
日其气宣通。热发点见。少则数点。多不过一二百颗。亦有面部稍见微肿。胎毒随解。大抵苗顺
则顺。必然之理。如痘
浆不得盗。痘痂亦可发苗。痘痂无可窃。则以新出痘儿所服之衣。与他儿服之。亦能出痘。总取
同气氤氲。为胎毒之向导。其盗机也。天下莫能知。而圣功生焉。或有热发出迟。点不即起。或
杂发于麻疹之中。须药扶持者。悉如正痘法。调理自安。当知胎毒有限。助虐无穷。况苗发之痘
。既无客邪鼓动血气。势无痒塌闷乱之虞。正气内守。虽酒气秽气。略无妨碍。脱痂绝无瘢痕。
口鼻亦无残废之厄。允为避险就安之快捷方式。间有意外之变。此儿正气内夺。加以客邪交迫。时动必
溃。命之制在气。道之理也。值此而与种痘。未有不告变者。故凡病后之儿。及颜色太娇。骨干
太弱。肌理太疏者。皆正可以轻试也。其于痘证初行。疫邪方炽之时。切须避其锐气。当俟大势
稍平。方可施补天浴日之妙用。其间或有不顺者。此必苗非顺痘。医非慑家。是不能无揠苗助长
之憾。然皆方士之所为。人知其神之神。而不知不神之所以神。吾以静眼观之。曷若顺天随时。
不假强为之为愈也。
水痘，其色泽淡白、浆液稀薄，因此称为水痘。色泽红赤的，称为赤痘。在即将发作的时候，也都会有发热的症状。病邪由红点发展为水泡，伴有红色底盘；再由水泡、脓泡发展至结痂。但是水痘的特点是皮肤薄嫩、色泽娇嫩；赤痘则是红润且形态柔软。总之都不像正痘（天花）那样根脚圆净、紧束有力。而且从出疹点、起发到灌浆、结痂，整个过程只在五六天之间完成，由此可知其邪气轻浅。这都是由于风热之邪郁结于肌表而引发的。小儿肌肉嫩薄，尤其容易患此证。应当用大连翘汤来治疗化解。也有夹带麻疹而出的，有夹带正痘而出的。如果先出水痘，收口后再发正痘，那么正痘的病情必然较轻。
痘症本是胎毒，根源在于先天禀赋。发作则由于时行疫气的影响。因此往往沿着门户、遍及全境，安危相连，与疫病传染没有区别。并且多外挟风寒，内停宿食积滞，以及跌打损伤、惊恐等因素，造成的危害种种，不可预料。自从伏波将军马援平定岭南以来，自然生灭，人力无可奈何。近年来有种痘的说法，起初源自江西，传到燕齐地区，近来则遍布南北。详细探究其源头，说是来自玄女降乩的方术，专门取痘疮之气进行熏蒸，在安宁无病之时激发幼儿的胎毒，这样开发的时机就从容不迫，不像正痘那样是天人合发、内外邪气相合，难以分解。原来种痘所用的“苗”，没有其他药物，只是盗取出痘孩子的痘粒中的浆液，收入棉絮中，塞入幼儿鼻孔，女孩塞右鼻，男孩塞左鼻。七天后痘气宣通，发热出疹。少的只有几点，多的不过一二百颗。也有面部稍微轻微肿胀的，胎毒随之解除。大抵来说，痘苗顺利则出痘顺利，这是必然的道理。如果无法盗取痘浆，痘痂也可以用来发苗。如果连痘痂也无法窃取，就用刚出痘的孩子穿过的衣服，给另一个孩子穿，也能诱发痘症。总归是取同气相求、氤氲交融的作用，作为胎毒的向导，这就是盗取机枢的方法。天下没有人能知晓其中的奥秘，但神圣的功效却由此产生。如果有热发出得迟，疹点不立即起发，或者混杂在麻疹中一起发出，需要药物扶持调理的，都按照正痘的方法来调理，自然平安。应当知道胎毒是有限的，而助长邪气的因素是无穷的。况且通过种痘发出的痘，既然没有客邪鼓动血气，就没有瘙痒塌陷、胸闷烦乱的忧虑。正气内守，即使是酒气秽气，也毫无妨碍。脱痂后绝无瘢痕，口鼻也没有残废的灾厄，确实是避开危险趋向安全的快捷方式。间或有意外的变故，这是因为孩子正气内部被剥夺，加上客邪交相逼迫，时机一到必然溃败。生命的制约在于气，这是道的道理。值此之时给孩子种痘，没有不出现变故的。所以凡是病后的孩子，以及面色太娇嫩、骨架太弱、肌理太疏松的，都可以尝试轻度的种痘。在痘症初行、疫邪正盛的时候，切须避开其锐气，应当等待大势稍平之后，才可以施展补天浴日的妙用。其间如果有不顺利的情况，这必定是因为痘苗不是顺痘，医生不是名家，这就难免有揠苗助长的遗憾。但这都是方士所为，人们只知道他们的神奇，却不知道他们之所以神奇的原因。我以冷静的眼光观察，不如顺应天时、随顺时节，不借助强行作为更好。
Waterpox (Shuidou) is characterized by pale color and thin pus, hence the name. Those with red color are called Red Pox (Chidou). At the time of onset, fever also occurs in both. The rash progresses from red spots to vesicles with a red base, then to pustules, and finally to scabs. However, waterpox features thin skin and delicate appearance, while red pox appears red and soft in shape. Generally, neither resembles regular smallpox (Zhengdou), which has round, clean, and tight roots. Moreover, the stages of eruption, development, suppuration, and scabbing for waterpox occur within five to six days, indicating that the pathogenic factor is mild and superficial. This condition arises from wind-heat stagnating in the muscle and surface layers. Children, with their tender and thin muscles, are particularly susceptible. It should be treated with Dalianqiao Tang (Large Lonicera Decoction). There are cases where it occurs alongside measles (Zhen) or regular smallpox. If regular smallpox erupts after the resolution of waterpox, the smallpox will likely be milder.
Smallpox originates from fetal toxin (Taidu) rooted in congenital constitution, but its eruption is triggered by seasonal epidemic qi (Shiqi). Consequently, it spreads throughout communities, affecting safety collectively, similar to infectious epidemics. Additionally, it is often complicated by external wind-cold, internal retention of food stagnation, as well as trauma and fright, causing various unpredictable harms. Since the time of Ma Yuan, natural birth and death have been beyond human control. In recent years, the method of inoculation (Zhongdou) has emerged, starting in Jiangxi and spreading to Yanqi, and now prevalent across the north and south. Investigating its origin, it is said to derive from a formula revealed by the goddess Xuannü through spirit writing. It specifically uses the vaporization of smallpox qi to stimulate the child's fetal toxin during a healthy state, allowing for a smooth development process, unlike regular smallpox which involves simultaneous heaven-human interaction and complex internal-external pathogens that are difficult to resolve. The "seed" for inoculation contains no other drugs; it merely steals the pus from the pustules of a child suffering from smallpox, places it in cotton, and inserts it into the child's nostrils—right for girls, left for boys. After seven days, the qi circulates, fever arises, and spots appear. The number ranges from a few to over a hundred. Some may experience slight facial swelling, after which the fetal toxin resolves. Generally, if the seed is favorable, the eruption is favorable, which is a necessary principle. If pus cannot be obtained, scabs can be used. If scabs are unavailable, clothes worn by a child who recently had smallpox can be given to another child to induce the disease. The core mechanism relies on the resonance of similar qi (Tongqi Yinyun) acting as a guide for the fetal toxin. This secret method is unknown to the world, yet divine efficacy arises from it. If the eruption is delayed, spots do not rise immediately, or it mixes with measles requiring medicinal support, treatment follows the methods for regular smallpox, ensuring recovery through proper care. One must understand that fetal toxin is limited, whereas factors aiding evil are infinite. Furthermore, since inoculated smallpox lacks external pathogens stirring blood and qi, there is no risk of itching, collapse, or distress. With righteous qi guarding internally, even alcohol or foul odors cause no harm. Scabs fall off without leaving scars, and there is no risk of oral or nasal deformity. It is indeed a rapid way to avoid danger and seek safety. Occasionally, unexpected changes occur because the child's righteous qi is depleted internally, compounded by aggressive external pathogens, leading to inevitable failure. Life depends on qi, which is the principle of the Dao. Inoculating children under such conditions inevitably leads to adverse outcomes. Therefore, children recovering from illness, those with overly delicate complexions, weak frames, or loose tissue structure, are suitable candidates for mild trials. During the initial spread of smallpox when epidemic evil is strong, one must avoid its sharp momentum and wait until the situation stabilizes before applying profound interventions. If irregularities occur, it is likely due to non-favorable seeds or inexperienced practitioners, resulting in the regret of forcing growth. These practices belong to alchemists and folk healers. People perceive their divinity but do not understand the underlying reasons. Observing calmly, it is better to follow nature and timing rather than forcing outcomes.