（附梦遗鬼交 盗汗。自汗 骨蒸潮热）
痨者劳也。犹妄作劳以成病也。从病从劳。故名曰痨。劳力负重则伤血。而气亦重伤。
然精犹未伤也。劳力以行房则伤精。而血气其能以独不伤乎。或劳力以负重。而复劳力以行房。
更失于检束而不避风寒侍其强壮而纵欲曲 。则精神与血俱伤。而真元所削。风寒曲 交次
。而虚火易炽病根日深。病已不可拔。犹不知戒。而肆情逞欲。则心肝肺肾损矣。心损则精
神不守恍惚。肝损则失血少睡。面白无色。肺损则声音低小。言语不续。肾损则腰膝软弱。
小便短数。而虚损之症成矣。虚损者痨瘵之始。痨瘵者。虚损之终。由劳伤而成虚损。由
虚损
痰中见血。一咳血即出者有面常颊热忽洒淅而似寒者。有胸前如火。而两足冰冷者。有腰疼
背痛。而筋骸无力者。总属于虚。至于梦遗鬼交。盗汗自汗。骨蒸潮热。又属非虚之所致
耶。究而言之。梦遗鬼交。虚不暇言矣。然何以有是梦有是交。而又有是精耶。盖梦者心之
神也。鬼者肝之魂也。精者肾之液也。心之火。君火也。肝肾之火相火也。相从君之令者
也。君火一动。相火从之。而梦遗鬼交之病起矣。盗汗自汗虚不暇言矣。然均之为汗也。何为
而有盗与自之异耶。盖盗汗者。睡去即出。醒来即收。盗之偷窃乘其虚 而惟恐人知。故有
盗汗之名焉。而求其所属之经。则犹于心气之不足。汗者心之液也。心气不足则神不守舍。
而液无所摄。故睡中出汗。一惊觉之间。则心神渐定。故汗亦收也。自汗者。无睡无醒。自
然濡湿。故有自汗之名焉。较而论之。则自汗为甚是何也。盖盗汗本于心虚。而其真元犹未
尽虚也。自汗则真元耗散。腠理皆开。肺失统气之权。不能固表故毫窍疏豁。汗流不禁。岂
不大可畏哉。若汗出如膏。凝而不流者。乃真元尽泄于外。而生气以绝。死期至矣。骨蒸潮
热。虚不暇言矣。然何以使热之蒸于骨耶。盖骨之所属者。肾也。肾实则寒。肾虚则热。骨
热龙火大旺。煎熬真阴。真阴既竭。热无所容。流入于骨。故成骨蒸。骨蒸既久。上蒸于颧
。颧赤而热则不救矣。盖颧者骨之本也。骨本一枯。则肾经已绝。死期至矣。又有喉哑一症
者。百无一生。传尸一症者。九死一活。相思一症者。无药可治。或平素有漏疮及下部忽生
肿毒。与夫脾虚发肿泄泻者。皆难治之症也。
(Applied to: nocturnal emission, sexual intercourse with spirits, night sweats, spontaneous sweating, bone-steaming tidal fever)
" Lao " (Consumption/Tuberculosis) means "labor". It is like becoming ill due to excessive exertion. Derived from both disease and labor, it is named "Lao". Physical labor involving heavy lifting damages blood, and qi is also severely damaged; however, essence has not yet been injured. Sexual intercourse after physical labor damages essence, so how can blood and qi remain uninjured? Or if one engages in heavy labor followed by sexual intercourse while being lax in self-restraint, failing to avoid wind and cold, relying on robustness to indulge desires, then spirit and blood are both damaged, and the True Yuan (Original Qi) is depleted. Alternating exposure to wind-cold and indulgence in lust causes deficient fire to easily blaze up, deepening the root of the disease until it becomes incurable. If one fails to realize this and continues to indulge passions recklessly, the Heart, Liver, Lung, and Kidney will be damaged. Damage to the Heart leads to unsettled spirit and mental confusion; damage to the Liver results in blood loss, reduced sleep, and a pale, lusterless complexion; damage to the Lung causes low voice and interrupted speech; damage to the Kidney leads to weakness in the lower back and knees, and short, frequent urination, thereby forming deficiency syndromes. Deficiency syndrome is the beginning of Lao Zhai (Consumption), and Lao Zhai is the end stage of deficiency. Labor injury leads to deficiency, which progresses to consumption.
Sputum containing blood, where blood appears immediately upon coughing; those whose cheeks are often hot, experiencing chills alternating with heat; those feeling heat in the chest like fire while their feet are ice cold; those with back and waist pain and weak sinews and bones—all these generally belong to deficiency. As for nocturnal emission, sexual intercourse with spirits, night sweats, spontaneous sweating, and bone-steaming tidal fever, are they not also caused by deficiency? Upon deeper investigation, nocturnal emission and sexual intercourse with spirits cannot be adequately described merely as deficiency. Yet why do such dreams and interactions occur, resulting in the emission of essence? Dreams are the activity of the Spirit (Shen) of the Heart; spirits are the activity of the Soul (Hun) of the Liver; essence is the fluid of the Kidney. The Fire of the Heart is the Ministerial Fire (Jun Huo); the Fires of the Liver and Kidney are the Ministerial Fire (Xiang Huo). The Ministerial Fire follows the command of the Ministerial Fire. When the Ministerial Fire moves, the Ministerial Fire follows, giving rise to diseases of nocturnal emission and sexual intercourse with spirits.
Night sweats and spontaneous sweating cannot be adequately described merely as deficiency. However, since both are sweat, why is there a distinction between "night" and "spontaneous"? Night sweats flow out during sleep and stop upon waking, stealing away like a thief taking advantage of deficiency, fearing discovery; hence the name "night sweat." Tracing its meridian affiliation, it stems from insufficiency of Heart Qi. Sweat is the fluid of the Heart. Insufficiency of Heart Qi causes the spirit to leave its residence, and fluids lose control, leading to sweating during sleep. Upon sudden awakening, the heart spirit gradually stabilizes, so the sweat stops. Spontaneous sweating occurs naturally whether asleep or awake, hence the name "spontaneous sweat." Comparatively, spontaneous sweating is more severe than night sweating. Why? Night sweating originates from Heart deficiency, but the True Yuan is not yet completely exhausted. Spontaneous sweating indicates that the True Yuan is dissipated, pores are all open, the Lung loses its authority to govern Qi and cannot secure the exterior, causing pores to be loose and sweat to flow uncontrollably. Is this not terrifying? If sweat flows like paste, coagulating and not flowing, it signifies that the True Yuan is entirely leaked outward, vital energy is cut off, and death is imminent.
Bone-steaming tidal fever cannot be adequately described merely as deficiency. Yet why does the heat steam within the bones? Bones belong to the Kidney. When the Kidney is solid, there is cold; when the Kidney is deficient, there is heat. Bone heat causes Dragon Fire to blaze, simmering the True Yin. Once True Yin is exhausted, heat has no place to reside and flows into the bones, forming bone-steaming. After prolonged bone-steaming, heat steams upward to the zygomatic arches. If the zygomatic arches become red and hot, the condition is incurable. The zygomatic arch is the root of the bones. Once the root of the bones is withered, the Kidney meridian is severed, and death is imminent. Another symptom is hoarseness of the throat; among such cases, none survive. For "Chuan Shi" (Passing Corpse/Infectious Consumption), nine die and one survives. For "Xiang Si" (Love Sickness/Melancholy), there is no cure. Additionally, chronic fistulas, sudden swelling and toxicity in the lower body, edema and diarrhea due to Spleen deficiency are all difficult-to-treat conditions.