Library

There are many who practice medicine, and medical books are even more numerous. Most of these works cite extensively but adhere to one-sided views, holding certain theories or experiences with excessive reverence, thereby misleading patients and causing significant harm. Others merely list prescriptions and symptoms without detailed discussion; when used to treat patients, they often prove ineffective, a situation so common that it is hard to enumerate. If books offer no practical benefit to saving lives, they might as well be considered non-existent.

I recall the time when I attended upon the Empress Dowager, resigned my post in the capital, and returned home via the coast. Passing through Jingkou (modern Zhenjiang), admiring the scenic beauty of Jinshan and Jiaoshan, I had the fortune to meet Mr. Zhao Zhuquan. We discussed medicine for an entire day. He was thoroughly versed in the *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot) and *Su Wen* (Basic Questions), the works of Yue Ren (Bian Que), Zhang Zhongjing (Changsha), Sun Simiao’s *Qian Jin Fang* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold), Wang Tao’s *Wai Tai Mi Yao* (Important Medical Prescriptions from the Outer Cabinet), as well as the writings of various masters from the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Indeed, he is one who has gained profound expertise through repeated clinical experience, and I have long held him in deep admiration.

Now, Mr. Zhao presented his newly authored work, *Yi Men Bu Yao* (Supplemental Essentials of Medicine). Upon reading it, I felt as if reciting the poems of Bai Juyi: accessible even to an old woman, yet simultaneously extracting the essence of classical texts and uncovering the secrets of prescriptions. His language is concise, yet his treatments are highly effective. It is truly a precious raft in the forest of medicine and a rare treasure for benefiting the world. Therefore, I commissioned its printing and ventured to write a few words at the beginning of this volume.

In the early ten days of the eighth month of autumn, in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign, Ma Peizhi of Menghe, Wenzhi, respectfully wrote this preface.

Words that contribute to the world and remain valued and unabolished throughout history must be those concerning the study of life and literature aimed at governing society, thus enduring and becoming more prominent over time. However, useless theories, even if lengthy, will not be valued by everyone. As for what is truly valuable, it must manifest in practical actions: on a grand scale, it involves governing the state and planning territories, extending boundless benevolence to the people; on a small scale, it entails rescuing the urgent and alleviating disasters, being most pertinent to daily life. Nothing is closer to this than medicine. Medicine can cure diseases; since humans inevitably fall ill, they must seek medical treatment, because medicine possesses the power to revive the dead and restore the dying.

Is medicine easy to discuss? If a physician lacks insightful understanding, sticks rigidly to old rules, and fails to adapt, their treatments will inevitably yield little success. Therefore, physicians should excel in precision, broaden their learning, demonstrate outstanding insight, maintain humility, specialize in their profession, speak clearly, employ flexible methods, use pure prescriptions, apply ingenious treatments, and achieve rapid efficacy. Understanding these principles completes the duties of a physician.

Furthermore, while ancient and modern books on internal diseases are vast, diligent study combined with clinical experience allows one to gradually reach a state of divine proficiency. This differs from surgery, which relies heavily on transmission, unique techniques, and special prescriptions for specific conditions, where trials often yield miraculous results. Often, practitioners keep their skills secret and hide their formulas, unwilling to share them openly, perhaps to boast of their exclusive insights or to preserve them as tools for profit and family legacy.

I did not shy away from decades of painstaking effort to search for the profound meanings of former sages, document the conditions of various diseases I encountered, and compile the various methods evolved from my teachers’ teachings into a single volume for publication. Lacking profound and ornate rhetoric to invite praise, I only hope that readers will gain clear understanding. This humble opinion may offer some minor contribution to the field of medicine.