Library

The genre of medical cases (Yi An) began to appear in the Ming Dynasty. The *Siku Quanshu* (Complete Library in Four Sections), under the category of physicians, lists the medical cases of Xue Ji and Chen Jue, but few copies are circulated in the world. Only Jiang Hantun's *Mingyi Leian* (Collected Cases of Famous Physicians) from the Ming Dynasty and Wei Zhixiu's *Xu Mingyi Leian* (Continued Collected Cases of Famous Physicians) from the Qing Dynasty were published by the Bao family of Changtang during the Qianlong reign, with a reprinted edition appearing during the Tongzhi reign. Jiang cited ancient and modern formulas and theories, adding comments, offering much dialectical analysis; Wei's collection was even more abundant, yet it could not avoid the drawback of being miscellaneous and disorganized. As for Yu Jiayan's *Yuyi Cao*, he narrated his own verified treatments without naming it as medical cases; Ye Tianshi's *Linzheng Zhinan* (Guide to Clinical Practice) was popular in the Wu and Yue regions, where superficial city physicians treated it as canonical law. However, much of it was forged by disciples and is not entirely from Ye Tianshi himself. Thus, pure and impure contents are intermixed; rigid adherence leads to misleading later generations, which concerns those with insight.

Wu Jutong of Huaiyin became famous for his medical skills north and south of the Yangtze River. His work *Wenbing Tiaobian* (Systematic Differentiation and Treatment of Warm Diseases) serves as a forthright minister to Wu Keyou above and paves the way for Wang Mengying below; it has indeed become a book found in every household. Mr. Jin Yuesheng delved into the secrets of Wu Jutong's guidance, widely read physicians' books, and obtained the manuscript of Wu Jutong's medical cases. He classified and arranged them into five volumes. Mr. Jin Jinzhai supervised the typesetting and printing, urging me to write a preface. I have no deep attainments in medicine, though I was prone to illness in my youth and dabbled in medical literature. Therefore, I accepted the task and completed this preface. I privately sigh that this book can serve as a ladder into the gate of medicine. Its differentiation of subtle details analyzes muscle and tissue structure like Cook Ding slaughtering an ox, cutting through twelve oxen in a day while the blade remains sharp; its correction of errors is like an experienced judge handling a case: although circumstances and deceptions vary infinitely, adhering to our laws allows us to measure them without yielding. Regarding the treatment of Zhang's mania, he first stimulated Zhang's conscience of shame and disgust, approaching the learning of exhausting principles and fulfilling nature. In treating Chen's edema, he discussed herbs with Chen Songzhou, weighing their potency to determine efficacy, subdued the arrogance of guests, and ultimately won Chen Songzhou's heart. Alas, can this not be called miraculous?

Previously, Mr. Hang Dazong prefaced *Mingyi Leian*, summarizing it in three words: examine the pulse, differentiate herbs, and think cautiously. His discussion was superb. For this book, I merely take Wu Jutong's self-description, summarizing it with the phrase "accurate syndrome differentiation" (Ren Zheng Wu Cha). Accurate syndrome differentiation cannot be achieved without reading many ancient books and being good at observing changing times. Nineteen out of twenty practitioners today are low-level doctors. Not reading ancient books, not observing changes, and casually treating medicine as a marketplace trade results in countless lives harmed in ignorance. Merely adhering to one school's theory is hardly sufficient to make a master physician. However, if one obtains this book, deeply investigates the intention behind prescriptions, expands knowledge through analogy, and enlightens understanding through inference, one can then connect upward with the principles of Five Movements and Six Qi, and the methods of Three Parts and Nine Probes. One will not err in the sequence of decoction preparation, nor use one's status as a learner to deceive the public or inquire about illnesses improperly. Gradually, diseases will be eliminated at a latent stage, and people will suffer no premature death or disaster. Would not Mr. Jin's effort to disseminate this book truly be the intent of a benevolent person?

Preface by Wu Qingdi in the tenth month of the year Rouzhao Zhixu (Guangxu 25th Year, October).