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As stated in the *Analects*: "The gentleman is cautious in three matters: fasting, warfare, and disease." It also says: "Confucius did not dare to taste [a remedy] for what he did not understand." These words emphasize that taking medicine must be done with extreme caution. However, there are detrimental practices inherited for hundreds of years that have not yet been eradicated. I venture to list one or two examples so that future practitioners may change their ways and avoid repeating past mistakes.

Shanghan (Cold Damage), Wenyi (Plague-Heat), Shiqi (Seasonal Qi), Zhongshu (Heatstroke), Fengwen (Wind-Warmth), Fengnie (Wind-Malaria), as well as conditions caused by excessive alcohol consumption and food stagnation, present similar symptoms in their early stages. This similarity most often leads to misdiagnosis. If a patient experiences headache the day before, and has consumed alcohol, the fault is attributed to wine; if they have overindulged in food, the fault is attributed to food. Upon feeling initial chest and epigastric fullness, physicians fail to examine the pulse or investigate the origin, instead directly administering medicines such as Beiji Dan (Emergency Rescue Pill), Chanji Dan (Accumulation-Entangling Pill), Ruanjin Wan (Soft Gold Pill), or Jiu Zheng Wan (Alcohol-Stagnation Pill). These preparations contain Radix Crotonis Tiglii (Baidu Dou, 巴豆). If the oil is not fully refined out, the substance is extremely hot and toxic, causing diarrhea five to seven times, or even more than ten times. The patient inevitably suffers from dried-up body fluids, dry intestines and stomach, yellowing of the skin, stasis-heat, red eyes, dry mouth, mental confusion, tidal fever, stupor, and mania, with various heat syndromes arising simultaneously. There are countless cases of death due to such mismanagement.

If a patient originally suffered from alcohol or food injury, they may also exhibit headache, body heat, trembling, and aversion to cold. Physicians, failing to examine the pulse or investigate the root cause, treat it as Shanghan (Cold Damage) and attempt to resolve it through sweating, using herbs such as Ramulus Cinnamomi (Guizhi, 桂枝), Herba Ephedrae (Mahuang, 麻黄), and Rhizoma Cimicifugae (Shengma, 升麻). When sweating fails to resolve the condition, doubt arises, leading to the generation of other complications. How many deaths can be counted from such errors?

Consider chronic cough, emaciation, reduced appetite, and worsening symptoms at night while quiet during the day. Physicians, without careful examination, administer fruits such as Fructus Mume (Wumei, 乌梅), Pericarpium Papaveris (Yingsuqiao, 罂粟壳), Flos Asteris (Ziwan, 紫菀), and Alum (Kufan, 枯矾). Such harsh astringent attacks leave the cough unresolved and induce stagnation diseases. With cough compounded by stagnation, dietary intake further decreases. Physicians, again failing to examine carefully, use hot-natured agents to nourish the stomach and warm-natured agents to harmonize the spleen. This results in sweating on the head and face, onset of dryness and tidal fever, emaciation, and upward flow of saliva like a gushing spring. Deaths resulting from this are innumerable.

Regarding postpartum ailments in women, these are often caused by retained blood and evil substances, presenting with alternating chills and fever, cramping pain in the umbilical and abdominal regions, dry and shriveled breasts, and slightly reduced appetite. Physicians, failing to examine carefully, assume that losing several dou of blood postpartum means both qi and blood are deficient. They then use warm-tonifying agents to nourish blood and tonify deficiency, treating it as a cold syndrome. This is universally practiced. Do they not know that pregnancy in women is akin to heaven and earth nurturing things? Things are born only after the harmony of yin and yang; humans conceive only after the harmony of yin and yang. Can conception occur with an excess of either yin or yang alone? What difference is there between this and grains, millet, melons, and fruits? If water and drought are untimely, flowers and fruits will wither and fall. How is this different from pregnancy that does not result in birth? After the Start of Autumn in the seventh month, if no grass bears fruit for eighteen days, it is because the weather is cold. Now, a woman carries a fetus for ten months without difficulty and gives birth, yet it is labeled as a cold syndrome. Is this not a profound failure to investigate principles? I liken this to brick makers: fire burns below, and water is poured on the top of the kiln, thus forming bricks. Once the bricks exit the kiln, the kiln instantly becomes cold! The common people blindly transmit formulas such as Heishen San (Black Divine Powder) to treat eighteen postpartum syndromes. Not only do these fail to cure, but they also cause the meridians to become dry and closed, dysuria, retention of urine and feces, vomiting, cough, and phlegm, generating all sorts of heat syndromes. Deaths from such errors are incalculable. It would be better to combine Siwu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) with Liangge San (Cool the Chest Powder), prepare them as a large decoction, and administer them to induce several bowel movements. Once the evil substances are exhausted, subsequent administration of bland and sweet agents will lead to self-healing.

Consider infants with abdominal distension, wheezing, coughing, and difficult expectoration of phlegm. Physicians, failing to examine carefully, administer Baibingzi (White Cake Pills). Baibingzi contains Radix Crotonis Tiglii (Baidu Dou, 巴豆), which is extremely hot and highly toxic, combined with Calomelas (Nifen, 腻粉/轻粉). Later, the child inevitably develops oral ulcers, upper respiratory wheezing, coughing, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Although this might be effective for poor families' children, for wealthy families' children, it will certainly generate other diseases. This is beyond doubt.

Consider diarrheal diseases, which occur every year. Physicians, failing to examine carefully, administer Shengsanzi (Holy Dispersion Formula), containing Radix Zingiberis Preparata (Ganjiang, 干姜), Lapis Kaolinicus (Chishizhi, 赤石脂), Fructus Mume (Wumei, 乌梅), Pericarpium Papaveris (Yingsuqiao, 罂粟壳), Cortex Cinnamomi (Guangui, 官桂), Pericarpium Granati (Shiliupi, 石榴皮), Os Draconis (Longgu, 龙骨), and Concha Ostreae (Muli, 牡蛎). This transforms into urinary retention (Longbi, 癃闭); severe cases develop into abdominal distension; even more severe cases develop edema. Occasionally, some recover because the disease was mild; severe cases will definitely not recover.

Consider patients with retained fluid (Tingyin, 停饮), possibly due to excessive cold injury in summer. This indicates an excess of pathogenic qi in the Spleen and Stomach. It should be purged and removed. Physicians should not tonify it under the assumption of Spleen deficiency; otherwise, palpitations and fullness will worsen. Some use Radix Crotonis Tiglii pills to purge. Although the disease alleviates slightly, the patient inevitably loses appetite, and upper dryness diseases arise.

Consider patients suffering from severe pain in the knees, ankles, elbows, and wrists due to sprains or dislocations. Physicians, failing to examine carefully, use acupuncture to bleed. If not cured, they repeat bloodletting multiple times. Excessive blood loss leads to limping. The *Neijing* states: "The feet can walk only when they receive blood." How can one walk when the blood is exhausted? My treatment for sprains is different. I use Yugong San (Meritorious Action Powder), or Tongjing (2–3 qian), administered orally; or Shenyu Wan (Divine Blessing Pill), or Chushi Dan (Dampness-Expelling Pill), administered in quantities of over a hundred pills, to vigorously purge ten to twenty bowel movements. Then, pain transforms into itching. Pain belongs to Summer, itching belongs to Autumn; when pain exits, Summer [pathogens] decline! This is the principle of the victory and recovery of the Five Phases.

Therefore, whether it is pain in the waist, hips, or flanks, or injuries from beating, falling from horses, or blows and falls, the principle is the same. These pains originate externally and are not due to innate deficiency of Yuan Qi (Original Qi). The ancients said: "Pain diminishes with purgation." It is appropriate to vigorously purge ten to twenty bowel movements. One must avoid hot wine, and the disease can be cured with one prescription. Do not consider vigorous purgation lightly or disdain this method. In the past, someone suffered from toothache for months. Using an iron bell-shaped tool to extract teeth, they bled to death. Another person suffered from upper and lower toothache and extracted teeth wherever there was pain. Within a few years, all upper and lower teeth were lost. By age fifty, they could not eat hard foods. Upper and lower toothaches are caused by excessive wind-heat in the Hand and Foot Yangming Meridians. Da Chengqi Tang (Major Order the Qi Decoction), Xiao Chengqi Tang (Minor Order the Qi Decoction), Zangyong Wan (Storehouse Use Pill), and Qufeng Wan (Wind-Expelling Pill) can be used to purge, and the pain will stop naturally. The *Neijing* states: "All pain, itching, sores, and ulcers belong to Heart Fire." Qixuanzi (Wang Bing) stated: "All kinds of origins arise from the Heart." The Heart belongs to Fire; Fire generates Earth. The error of extracting teeth must be understood.

Furthermore, those treating edema and pain often use Calomelas (Shuiyin, 水银), Calomelas (Qingfen, 轻粉), and Baiwanzi (White Pill), which are highly toxic purgatives. Edema does not subside, but teeth fall out. Once teeth are lost and eating ceases, the body's fluids are exhausted, leading to immediate death. Others puncture the soles of the feet to drain fluid; when the fluid is exhausted, death ensues.