每见有名医家,不数年间,必获浓资。其间实缘治疗得当,而愈人者固多;侥幸而得者
亦复
不少。当虔修良药,以施贫苦,疏财帛以行利人利物之事,则天亦原其情而锡之福也。莫谓
我道胜人,分应坐享,求田问舍,以传子孙;墓木未拱,已有资产废弃者比比也。何如仍行
好事,再种来生之福耶?
中才之辈,其通塞盖有时也。往昔同里一医,专心好学,年至半百终岁门巷萧然。忽一
日有
嘉兴地界乡豪俞姓者,三房其一子,有病甚危,因荐来邀。其时早秋,衣服须纱,乃假诸相
好而就,同来舟而往。途中问及病者,平时爱嗜何物,使者指舟旁之菱曰∶最爱此。而采菱
之人,大肆詈言。盖谓新落水船,桐油气未退,而菱花遇桐油气辄萎,为此喧哗。耳闻之,
忽然有得,潜抓舟内油滞作丸,如梧子大者十粒,以纸包装佩囊中。及诊脉间,问何所苦?
言胸满腹胀,身热不解,前医用硝朴、枳实,攻之无效。近添浆水不入,稍纳即呕,病势危
急,默喜对症。曰∶此上下阻隔,再迟二三日,则无救矣。幸带有神丸,先用汤灌下。出堂
开方,不过消导行气之剂。买药须往返经时,而病者腹中已雷动矣。及煎药服下,即如圊,
下黑燥粪,继溏者甚多,即饥而思纳。病家上下无不欢悦,以庆再生,留款数日,浓馈而返
。于是日行一日,名动公卿矣。前辈云∶此医金姓,字不知。观此则白蕈散,亦非妄语也。
I often see famous physicians who, within a few years, accumulate substantial wealth. This is indeed partly because their treatments are appropriate and they cure many patients; however, those who gain wealth through luck are also numerous. One should diligently prepare good medicines to distribute to the poor, and dispense wealth to perform acts that benefit others and all living things. In this way, Heaven will understand their intentions and bestow blessings upon them. Do not think that because your medical skill surpasses others, you are entitled to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor, buying fields and houses to pass down to descendants. Before the trees by one's grave have grown thick enough to embrace (a metaphor for a short time after death), there are countless cases where assets have been squandered or abandoned. How does this compare to continuing to do good deeds and planting the seeds of fortune for the next life?
Physicians of average talent experience periods of both success and failure. In the past, there was a physician from my hometown who studied with great dedication. By the age of fifty, his home remained quiet and devoid of visitors throughout the year. Suddenly, one day, a local gentry surnamed Yu from the Jiaxing region invited him. One of the three sons in the Yu family was critically ill. It was early autumn, and he needed to wear gauze clothing, so he borrowed it from a close friend and traveled by boat together. On the way, when asked what the patient liked to eat, the messenger pointed to water caltrops beside the boat and said, "He loves these the most." However, the water caltrop gatherers were cursing loudly. This was because the newly launched boat had not yet dissipated the smell of tung oil, and water caltrop flowers wither upon contact with tung oil vapor, causing an uproar. Hearing this, the physician suddenly had an insight. He secretly scraped the oil residue from the boat, made it into pills the size of *Semen Sinapis Albae* (white mustard seed), ten in total, wrapped them in paper, and kept them in his pouch. When examining the pulse, he asked about the patient's suffering. The patient reported chest fullness, abdominal distension, and persistent fever. Previous doctors had used purgatives such as *Natrii Sulfas* (Mirabilite) and *Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis* (Houpo) combined with *Fructus Aurantii Immaturus* (Zhishi), but to no avail. Recently, the patient could not even keep down liquid food, vomiting immediately upon ingestion. The condition was critical, and the physician secretly rejoiced that his intuition matched the symptoms. He said, "This is a blockage of Qi between the upper and lower jiao. If delayed by two or three more days, it will be incurable. Fortunately, I have brought miraculous pills. Administer them first with decoction." After leaving the consultation room to prescribe, the prescription consisted merely of herbs for promoting digestion and moving Qi. Buying the medicine would take considerable time, but by then, the patient's abdomen was already rumbling like thunder. Once the decoction was prepared and taken, the patient immediately defecated black, dry stools, followed by a large amount of loose stool. Soon after, the patient felt hungry and desired food. The patient's family was overjoyed at every level, celebrating the recovery from near-death. They hosted the physician for several days and gave him generous gifts before he returned. From that day on, his practice became busier day by day, and his fame spread among the nobility and high officials. An elder once remarked: This physician was surnamed Jin, though his given name is unknown. Observing this case, the efficacy of *Bai Xun San* (White Mushroom Powder) is indeed not mere talk.