真定赵客。乙丑岁六月间。客于他方。因乘困伤湿面。心下痞满。躁热时作。卧不得安。遂宿于
寺中。僧以大毒食药数丸。下十余行。心痞稍减。越日困睡。为盗劫其财货。心有所动。遂燥热而
渴。饮冷酒一大瓯。是夜脐腹胀痛僧再以前药复下十余行。病加困笃。四肢无力。燥热身不停衣。
喜饮冷水。米谷不化。痢下如烂。鱼肠脑。赤水相杂。全不思食。强食则呕。痞甚于前。噫气不绝
。足 冷。少腹不任其痛。请予治之。诊其脉浮数八九至。按之空虚。予溯流而寻源。盖暑天之热
已伤正气。以有毒大热之剂下之。一下之后。其所伤之物已去而无余矣。遗巴豆之气。流毒于肠胃之间。使
呕逆而不能食。胃气转伤而然。及下脓血无度。大肉陷下。皮毛枯槁。脾气弱而衰也。舌上赤涩。
口燥咽干。津液不足。下多亡阴之所致也。阴既已亡。心火独旺。故心胸燥热。烦乱不安。经曰。
独阳不生。独阴不长。天之由也。遂辞而退。后易他医。医至。不审其脉。不究其源。惟见痞满。以枳壳丸下之。病添
喘满。利下不禁而死。金匮要略云。不当下而强下之。令人开肠洞泄便溺不禁而死。此之谓也。夫圣人治病。用药有法。
不可少越。内经云。
大毒去病。十去其六。小毒治病。十去其七。常毒治病。十去其八。无毒治病。十去其九。如不尽行。复如法以谷肉果
菜养之。无使过之。过则伤其正矣。记有之云。医不三世。不服其药。盖慎之至也。彼僧非医流。妄以大毒之剂下之太
过。数日之间。使人殒身丧命。用药之失。其祸若此。病之择医。可不谨乎。戒之。
A guest from Zhending. In the sixth month of the Yichou year, while staying in another place, he contracted dampness due to fatigue and travel. He experienced epigastric fullness and stuffiness (Xin Xia Pi Man), with intermittent irritability and heat sensations, unable to sleep peacefully. He lodged in a temple. The monk administered several pills of highly toxic medicine, causing him to defecate more than ten times. The epigastric stuffiness slightly decreased. The next day, he was lethargic and sleepy. His belongings were robbed by thieves, causing emotional disturbance, which led to dryness-heat and thirst. He drank a large bowl of cold wine. That night, his umbilical and abdominal regions became distended and painful. The monk again administered the previous medicine, causing another ten-plus bowel movements. The condition worsened significantly; his limbs were weak, he felt dry-heat and trembled constantly, preferring to drink cold water. Food and grain were not digested; dysentery stools resembled rotten fish intestines and brains, mixed with red and white pus and blood. He had no appetite at all; forcing food intake caused vomiting. The stuffiness was worse than before, accompanied by incessant belching, cold feet, and unbearable pain in the lower abdomen. He asked me to treat him. I palpated his pulse: floating and rapid, beating eight or nine times per breath, empty upon pressure. I traced the origin of the disease. It seems that the heat of summer had already injured the upright Qi (Zheng Qi). Using highly toxic and hot purgatives further damaged him. After one purge, the pathogenic factors were exhausted. However, the residual toxicity of Crotonis Fructus (Badou, 巴豆) remained, spreading poison between the stomach and intestines, causing nausea and inability to eat, indicating injury to Stomach Qi. Subsequently, excessive discharge of pus and blood occurred, with sunken flesh and withered skin and hair, indicating weakness and decline of Spleen Qi. The tongue was red and rough, mouth dry, throat parched, and body fluids insufficient. This was caused by "excessive purging leading to Yin loss" (Xia Duo Wang Yin). Since Yin was lost, Heart Fire flared alone, causing dry-heat in the chest and heart, restlessness, and unease. The Classics state: "Solitary Yang does not generate, solitary Yin does not grow." This is the way of Heaven. Thus, I declined and withdrew. Later, another doctor was consulted. Upon arrival, this doctor did not examine the pulse nor investigate the source of the disease. Seeing only fullness and stuffiness, he used Zhiqiao Wan (Bitter Orange Pill) to purge. The patient developed additional wheezing and fullness, suffered from uncontrollable diarrhea, and died. The *Jingui Yaolue* states: "Purging when not indicated causes the intestines to open, leading to洞泄 (profuse watery diarrhea) and incontinence of feces and urine, resulting in death." This is exactly what happened. The sages treat diseases with methodical use of medicines, allowing no deviation. The *Neijing* states: "For highly toxic drugs, remove six-tenths of the disease; for slightly toxic drugs, remove seven-tenths; for commonly toxic drugs, remove eight-tenths; for non-toxic drugs, remove nine-tenths. If the disease is not fully resolved, repeat the method using grains, meats, fruits, and vegetables to nourish the body. Do not exceed these limits, as excess will injure the upright Qi." Records state: "If a physician has not practiced for three generations, do not take their medicine." This reflects extreme caution. That monk was not a trained physician but recklessly used highly toxic purgatives excessively. Within a few days, he caused the patient's death. The disaster caused by improper medication is thus severe. When choosing a physician, must one not be cautious? Let this serve as a warning.