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Physicians take saving lives as their primary concern; therefore, it is said that medicine is a benevolent art. When one falls ill and seeks treatment, it is akin to crying out for help while drowning or burning in fire and water. Physicians must employ benevolent methods to rescue patients, even going so far as to rush to their aid with disheveled hair and unadjusted cap (disregarding personal appearance). Otherwise, if the disaster of being scorched or drowned occurs due to hesitation, how could a benevolent person bear to let this happen?

Furthermore, some physicians exploit others' emergencies to fraudulently extort wealth. Such individuals are diligently pursuing profit, belonging to the bandit Zhi's ilk. How can this be considered a benevolent art? This is even worse than those who practice poorly. Would not Heaven's Way repay them with calamity? Today, we see that many descendants of physicians enjoy abundant blessings and achieve high official ranks. This is indeed verification of Heaven's retribution and reward. Why calculate temporary gains at the expense of one's benevolent and righteous heart? Such behavior severely contradicts the Daoist principles and violates the Heavenly Principle of nurturing all living things. Those engaged in this profession should certainly take this as a warning! (From Lu Xianggong's Discourse)

During the Xuanhe era of Emperor Huizong of Song, a scholar suffered from an illness for years without recovery despite various treatments. A man named He Cheng was skilled in medicine. The scholar's wife summoned him, led him into a private room, and told him: "My husband has been ill for a long time, and our property has been pawned and sold off completely, leaving no funds for medical care. I am willing to offer myself in repayment." He Cheng replied solemnly: "Madam, why do you say such things? Rest assured, I will treat and cure him. Please do not defile me with such offers. If I were to act otherwise, I would face human condemnation and divine punishment." Shortly thereafter, the husband recovered. One night, He Cheng dreamed of entering a shrine where the Judge of the Underworld said to him: "Your medical efforts have merit, and you did not indulge in lust during times of hardship. The Supreme Deity commands that I bestow upon you fifty thousand strings of cash and an official position." Not long after, the Crown Prince fell ill, and the Imperial Physicians failed to cure him. An edict was issued summoning folk doctors. He Cheng responded to the edict, administered a prescription, and cured the Prince. The court bestowed upon him money exactly as he had dreamed. (From *Yi Shuo*)

Although the origins of diseases are manifold, they all relate to "Xie" (Evil Pathogenic Factors). "Xie" refers to abnormal causes, meaning factors that deviate from the normal physiological laws of the human body. Wind, cold, summer-heat, dampness, hunger, overeating, labor, and rest are each considered pathogenic factors; they are not limited to turbid qi, ghostly qi, or epidemic pestilence. Humans live within Qi, just as fish live in water. When water is turbid, fish become emaciated; when human Qi becomes chaotic, humans fall ill. Pathogenic factors harming people are particularly severe. Once the meridians are affected by these factors, they transmit to the Zang-Fu organs. The Zang-Fu organs, depending on their deficiency/excess and cold/heat conditions, combine with the pathogens to form disease. Diseases then generate one another, causing the spread to widen. Spirit (Shen) and Essence (Jing) originally reside in the body to function. Once the body is invaded by pathogens, the spirit becomes chaotic; once the spirit is chaotic, then ghosts and spirits may enter. As ghostly power gradually strengthens and spiritual guardianship weakens, death becomes inevitable. The ancients compared this to planting poplar trees, which is an apt analogy. However, some diseases originate from ghosts and spirits, requiring exorcism through prayer. Although such conditions can be expelled, medicinal treatment still brings benefit, as exemplified by Li Ziyu's use of Red Pills. For cases where medicinal treatment yields no benefit, expulsion is impossible, as exemplified by Duke Jing of Jin whose disease entered the "gaohuang" (deep interior) region. Generally, although the harms caused by ghosts and spirits are diverse, the root source of disease is singular, differing only in severity. (From *San Shuo Ben Cao*)