宁波一妓。年三十余。患黄疮。外科始用升药。疮虽愈而毒聚于咽喉。腐溃绵延。小舌烂尽。通于鼻孔。服寒冷药
数百剂。以至面色 白。同于枯骨。声哑肤寒。连唇舌俱呆白色。腹胀便溏。脉象沉细。虚软萦萦如蛛丝。延余诊之。
余曰。寒凉过度。脾胃伤败。阳气消灭。将登鬼录。先保命根。休议其病。遂用附、桂、茯苓、于术。参、 、姜、草
等温补之。服十余剂。渐有起色。饮食腹胀便溏悉愈。乃以人参养荣汤朝吞五宝丹。以化其毒。吹以珠黄散。始终用温
补药加化毒之品。至月余而诸恙皆愈。烂孔平满。但烂去小舌。不复生耳。
一柴客体本强壮。只手能举百钧。冬月得伤寒太阳症。恶寒无汗。头痛项强。毛孔痛如针刺。气急脉紧。余用麻黄
汤治之。一剂未汗。再剂又未汗。乃取彼舟中造饭缸灶。左右前后各置其一锅。内盛水纳以麻黄、羌、防等气性雄
烈发表之药烧之。令滚。去其锅盖。再烧半时许。窗门皆令密闭。使病患口鼻皆受其气。蒸之既久。始得汗出甚臭。
病遂霍然。盖其邪入既深。腠理固密。故汤药不能发汗。必用蒸法始效。此古人之巧妙。非余之杜撰也。观名医类
案及本事方释义自知。
舟子刘某。年十四。风餐露宿。日以为常。夏秋之交。食少乏力。肌黄腹胀。其母以为虚也。与食桂圆数日。人益
困惫。
胃口愈闭。腹痛泄泻。然犹勉力操舟。迨至泄泻无度。魄门不禁。肢冷脉伏。目直神昏。始延余诊。至则其母对余而
泣。以为无生理也。余谛审之。舌苔白滑。口不渴饮。人不躁动。确系太阴寒湿。即慰之曰。病虽危险。尚属可救。书
附子理中汤与之。用生附子三钱。持方至药铺撮药。而司柜者。谓附子多则不过一钱。从未见生附可用三钱。嘱其
再来问余。余曰。我曾用六七钱而应手取效者。三钱尚是中剂。何云多也。嫌多不服。我亦不能相强。且必浓煎方效。
其母以病极危笃。姑进一剂。以冀万一。于是申刻服药。至酉戌时腹中作响。渐能开言识人。
至亥子时。复大泻一次。腹觉畅甚。起居自如。知饥索食。进锅巴汤半盂。次日问以病状。嘱其原方再服一剂。竟不泻。
亦不服药。三日即能负物以行。群以为奇。不知古法转危为安者甚多。何奇之有。然是症幸在乡僻穷民。故能速愈。若
在富贵之家。延医多人。各执己见。反多阻隔。不能愈矣。
A prostitute in Ningbo, over thirty years old, suffered from a yellow sore (a type of skin ulcer). The surgeon initially used Sheng Yao (Calx of Realgar and Orpiment, a mercury-containing corrosive drug). Although the sore healed, the toxin accumulated in the throat, causing persistent rotting and ulceration. The uvula was completely eroded, extending to the nasal cavity. She had taken hundreds of doses of cold-natured medicines, resulting in a pale complexion resembling dry bones, hoarseness, cold skin, and lips and tongue appearing stiff and white. Her abdomen was distended with loose stools. Her pulse was deep and fine, weak and soft like a spider's thread. I was summoned to consult.
I said, "Excessive use of cold medicines has damaged and ruined the Spleen and Stomach, and Yang Qi is about to perish; death is imminent. First preserve the root of life; do not discuss other diseases." Therefore, I prescribed warming and tonifying herbs including Fuzi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata), Guizhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi), Fuling (Poria), Baizhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae), Renshen (Radix Ginseng), Ganjiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens), and Gancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae). After taking more than ten doses, there was gradual improvement. Appetite returned, abdominal distension ceased, and loose stools stopped. Then, she took Ren Shen Yang Rong Tang (Ginseng Decoction for Nourishing Qi and Blood) in the morning and swallowed Wubao Dan (Five-Treasure Pill) to resolve the toxin. Zhuhuang San (Pearl and Calculus Bovis Powder) was blown into the affected area. Throughout the treatment, warming and tonifying herbs combined with toxin-resolving agents were used. After more than a month, all ailments were cured. The ulcerated holes filled up flat, though the uvula did not regrow after being lost.
Another patient, surnamed Chai, was originally robust, capable of lifting heavy weights with one hand. In winter, he contracted Taiyang Syndrome (Taiyang Disease) due to Cold Damage (Shanghan). He experienced aversion to cold, absence of sweating, headache, stiffness of the neck, pain in hair follicles as if pricked by needles, rapid breathing, and a tight pulse. I treated him with Mahuang Tang (Ephedra Decoction). After one dose, no sweat occurred. After a second dose, still no sweat. I then obtained cooking pots and stoves from his boat, placing them around him on all sides. Water was added to each pot along with herbs possessing strong aromatic and pungent properties for releasing the exterior, such as Mahuang (Herba Ephedrae), Qianghuo (Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii), and Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), and boiled vigorously. The lids were removed, and heating continued for about half an hour. Windows and doors were kept tightly closed so that the patient's nose and mouth inhaled the steam. After steaming for a long time, profuse, foul-smelling sweat finally appeared, and the illness vanished instantly. This was because the pathogen had penetrated deeply and the Cou Li (skin pores and interstitial spaces) were dense, making herbal decoctions ineffective for inducing sweat; only the steaming method could produce results. This is the ingenuity of ancient physicians, not my fabrication. One can verify this by consulting *Mingyi Leian* (Collected Cases of Famous Physicians) and *Benshi Fang Shiyi* (Explanation of Formulas from My Experience).
A boatman named Liu, aged fourteen, was accustomed to eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew. During the transition between summer and autumn, he suffered from poor appetite, fatigue, yellowish skin, and abdominal distension. His mother believed it was a deficiency syndrome and fed him Longyan (Litchi Chinensis Fruit) for several days. Consequently, he became increasingly lethargic, his appetite further decreased, and he developed abdominal pain and diarrhea. Nevertheless, he persisted in rowing the boat until the diarrhea became uncontrollable, leading to incontinence of the anus. His limbs grew cold, his pulse became hidden (Fu Pulse), his eyes stared fixedly, and he fell into coma. Only then was I called. Upon arrival, his mother wept before me, believing there was no hope. I examined him carefully: the tongue coating was white and slippery, there was no thirst or desire to drink, and he showed no restlessness. This confirmed a diagnosis of Taiyin Cold-Dampness Syndrome. I comforted them, saying, "Although the condition is critical, it is still curable." I prescribed Fuzi Lizhong Tang (Aconite Decoction to Warm the Middle) using three qian of raw Fuzi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis). Taking the prescription to the pharmacy, the pharmacist stated that Fuzi should rarely exceed one qian and that he had never seen raw Fuzi used at three qian. He advised me to return and consult again. I replied, "I have successfully used six or seven qian with immediate effect; three qian is merely a moderate dose. How can you say it is too much? If they refuse due to fear of excess, I cannot force them. Moreover, it must be decocted strongly to be effective." Because the illness was extremely critical, his mother administered one dose tentatively, hoping for a miracle. The medicine was taken at Shen hour (3-5 PM). By You-Xu hours (5-9 PM), rumbling sounds were heard in the abdomen, and he gradually regained consciousness and recognition. At Hai-Zi hours (9 PM-1 AM), he had another episode of severe diarrhea, but felt great relief in his abdomen, resumed normal activities, and expressed hunger, requesting food. He drank half a bowl of rice crust soup. The next day, upon inquiry, I instructed him to take another dose of the original prescription. He stopped having diarrhea and did not take further medication. Within three days, he could carry loads and walk. Everyone considered this miraculous, unaware that many cases of turning danger into safety exist in ancient methods. However, this case recovered quickly precisely because the patient was a poor rural inhabitant. Had he been from a wealthy family, multiple doctors would have been consulted, each adhering to their own opinions, creating obstacles that would likely prevent recovery.