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Furthermore, there is an external treatment method named "Sou Jing" (Sweeping Away Fright), which I learned from a patient's family in Songjiang. Twenty years ago, when I set up my clinic at the residence of Scholar Zhang on Kuan Street outside the West Gate of Songjiang, it was a traveling patient who told me about it. This method uses seven eggs boiled in water until extremely well-done; the older and harder the better. While still hot, take one egg, crack it, peel off the shell, and roll it all over the child's body directly against the skin. Because the egg is hot and the child fears the heat, one must roll quickly so that the skin and flesh do not get burned. However, the rolling must be done from top to bottom, i.e., rolling the egg smoothly from the head down to the feet; it must never be rolled upwards from the feet. When the first egg has cooled down, it must be immediately replaced with a second one, following the same rolling method as the first: smooth rolling downwards, never upwards. The second and third eggs are continued in this manner. For mild cases, three eggs are sufficient for recovery; for severe cases, five are needed; for the most severe cases, all seven must be used.

Whether the illness has been removed can be verified by an evidence: after peeling the white from the rolled eggs, observe the yolk. If small thorns densely cover the surface of the yolk like those of a bayberry, it indicates that the child's pathogenic qi is entirely contained in that egg. By peeling and inspecting them one by one, if the rolled eggs have fewer thorns, the illness has lightened; if there are no thorns, the illness has completely disappeared.

One more reminder: these rolled eggs must be smashed thoroughly and discarded on the road to prevent others from picking them up and swallowing them, otherwise the great toxicity could harm life, turning them into instruments of death.

Regarding Diarrhea (Xie Xie): The causes of diarrhea are numerous, including cold patterns and heat patterns. There are also those caused by dietary irregularity. Among these, cold and heat patterns cause disease indirectly, whereas dietary irregularity directly injures the Spleen and Stomach.

Diarrhea belonging to cold is called Dong Xie Han Zhong (Cave-like Diarrhea due to Cold invading the Middle); diarrhea belonging to heat is called Re Ji Pang Liu (Urgent Diarrhea with Side-flow due to Heat); diarrhea belonging to dietary irregularity is called Shi Shang Xie Xie (Food Injury Diarrhea), which is further divided into Spleen injury and Stomach injury.

Some people say that diarrhea is clearly an intestinal disease, yet you Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners insist it is a Spleen-Stomach disease, which makes no sense. The cause of diarrhea is unclean diet introducing microorganisms, which occupy the gastrointestinal tract, proliferate secretly, and spread, thus causing the disease. What does it have to do with cold or heat? Such statements are unscientific.

I replied to him: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) differs from Western Medicine. If one views TCM through a subjective lens using Western medical methods, it is greatly mistaken. The Stomach governs reception, the Intestines govern excretion, and the Spleen governs transformation and transportation. Western medicine only knows the intestines and stomach but fails to recognize the transformative function of the Spleen. This is knowing the branch but not the root. Moreover, the most crucial aspect of TCM is the twelve meridians of the hand and foot and the twelve zang-fu organs. Therefore, regarding the intestines and stomach, we refer to them as Yangming, not "Wei Chang" (Stomach-Intestines). ("Wei Chang" is a TCM term, while "Wei Chang" [Gastrointestinal] is a Western medical term.) The reason we call it Yangming rather than Wei Chang is that Yangming refers to the meridian name, while the intestine and stomach are fu organ names. Meridian diseases can encompass fu organ diseases, but fu organ diseases cannot encompass meridian diseases. The Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian are collectively called Yangming, encompassing both the intestine and stomach. Furthermore, diseases in the meridians and diseases in the fu organs are all included within this concept. Both heat diarrhea and cold diarrhea have concrete evidence and cannot be fabricated out of thin air; how can one say they are irrelevant? As for the Western medical theory of microorganisms, I am aware of their existence and their relation to pathological conditions, but I dare not consider them the source of all diseases. I have a very fresh and powerful piece of evidence to show you.

I have a relative who kept two monkeys. These monkeys were exceptionally clever and knowledgeable, differing from humans only slightly in intellect. My relative cared for these two monkeys much like he would care for people. Little did he know that these two monkeys fell ill with what is titled in my article: "Diarrhea." They suffered diarrhea dozens of times a day and night. My relative panicked and sought my treatment.

I said, although I am an internal medicine physician, I only treat humans, not animals. Although monkeys are clever, they remain beasts. I respectfully decline and am unable to help. My relative said, since you refuse to treat animals, I cannot force you. However, although humans and animals have different forms, they are both made of flesh and blood. Please study why these two healthy monkeys suddenly developed diarrhea simultaneously.

I asked, did the monkeys have diarrhea when they arrived? The relative replied, No. I then turned my attention to their diet and asked what they fed the monkeys. The relative answered, Whatever humans eat, the monkeys also eat. I smiled and said, This is problematic. It becomes clear that your feeding practices caused the monkeys' diarrhea. The relative asked for the reason.

I replied, Have you considered whether the monkeys' gastrointestinal tracts are the same as humans'? Humans are accustomed to cooked food, such as porridge, rice, fish, and meat. Monkeys are accustomed to raw food, such as fresh and dried fruits. When humans accustomed to cooked food suddenly stop eating porridge and rice and switch to fruit, the food entering the stomach causes disharmony with the environment, leading to diarrhea. When monkeys accustomed to raw food suddenly stop eating fruit and switch to porridge and rice, the food entering the stomach also causes disharmony, leading to diarrhea. Now, you blindly follow Western medicine, claiming that diarrhea is solely due to microorganisms. Indeed, microorganisms can cause human diarrhea. But does it mean that if humans eat raw food containing microorganisms, monkeys eating cooked food will produce microorganisms? The man retreated without words.

Regarding Diarrhea and Microorganisms: Let us ask, when people accustomed to cooked food switch to raw fruits, undoubtedly, many microorganisms are introduced along with the uncooked food. These microorganisms wreak havoc in the gastrointestinal tract, naturally causing diarrhea. Monkeys are accustomed to eating fruits, which are raw and uncooked. Undoubtedly, there are many microorganisms on uncooked fruits. Logically, monkeys should suffer from diarrhea normally, yet they do not. If one argues that monkey physiology differs from humans, that human resistance is weak while monkey resistance is strong, so general microorganisms cause diarrhea in human guts but not in monkey guts, then let us assume this is true. In that case, fruits containing microorganisms would not cause diarrhea in monkeys due to their strong resistance. Once they consume cooked food where microorganisms are killed by heat, even individuals with historically weak resistance would not suffer diarrhea. Similarly, monkeys with such gastrointestinal systems would certainly not suffer diarrhea.

However, facts prove that monkeys immediately develop diarrhea after eating cooked food. Could it be that microorganisms attach to raw food in humans but to cooked food in monkeys?

From our TCM perspective, when food enters the gastrointestinal tract, there is a relationship of habituation versus non-habituation. Humans are habituated to cooked food, and monkeys to raw food. Non-habituation leads to diarrhea, while habituation prevents it. Therefore, I advised the relative to feed the monkeys only raw food and prohibit cooked food. After listening to my advice, both monkeys recovered within three days. Thus, I humbly inquire: what exactly is the relationship between diarrhea and microorganisms?

On My View of TCM Improvement: Everyone is waving flags and shouting for the improvement of TCM, and I also agree. However, although I agree, my perspective differs slightly from others. While I support improvement, I firmly believe that the quality of TCM—whether good or bad—should be judged solely by TCM standards, with TCM as the ultimate goal. Doctrines and terms outside of TCM should not be mixed in or introduced.

If translating physiological books, Western pathology books, diagnostic textbooks, and Western pharmacopeias, and merely copying a few Western medical terms constitutes improving TCM, then such an easy thing has never existed in the world. Our nation's millennia-old academic tradition cannot simply be given a new face, swallowed whole, and claimed as one's own academic improvement overnight. Doing so results only in Western medicine written in national language and script, not TCM. Just as Japan adopted Western terminology and language, Japanese scholars never called it an improvement of Eastern Medicine, but rather referred to it as Western Medicine.

How should work be conducted to truly constitute TCM improvement? During the era of Shennong, healing relied on herb properties; during the era of the Yellow Emperor, decoctions were invented, and the *Neijing* contains twelve prescriptions. This is one form of improvement. Yi Yin wrote the *Tangye Jing*, and Zhang Zhongjing wrote the *Shanghan Lun*, making decoction therapy comprehensive. This is another form of improvement. In ancient times, pulse diagnosis involved checking pulses all over the body; Bian Que changed this to taking only the Cun Kou pulse, becoming the current diagnostic method. This is another form of improvement. Sun Simiao wrote treatises on gout, which is another form of improvement. Liu Wansu emphasized clearing fire, Li Dongyuan emphasized tonifying the Spleen and Stomach, Zhang Zihe emphasized sweating, vomiting, and purging, and Zhu Danxi emphasized nourishing Yin. These are all forms of improvement. Ye Tianshi of the Qing Dynasty discovered warm-heat diseases, which is another form of improvement. Zhang Jingyue of the Ming Dynasty emphasized nurturing the Spleen and Stomach, which is another form of improvement. Yu Dongfu's *Yi An An*, Ke Yunbo's *Shanghan Laisu Ji*, and Zou Run'an's *Benjing Shuzheng* are also forms of improvement.

Only by utilizing existing academic foundations to expand, clarify, and cross-reference them can one achieve true improvement.

Playing Mahjong and playing Go are both pastimes. However, the methods of playing Mahjong in our country have been improved multiple times, such as old methods, new methods, building double-layer or single-layer walls, self-drawn wins, doubled wins, allowing others to win, doubled losses, seeking full hands, avoiding full hands, removing ones and nines, and various other methods. Similarly, Japanese Go strategies differ slightly from ours. All these are original creations, gradually improved, and recognized by the public as appropriate, without being translated from Poker or other games. Observing the improvements in pastimes like Mahjong and Go, we see such progress; yet for our five-thousand-year medical academic tradition, the improvement is so lacking. Is it that Mahjong and Go are more important than medicine?

Has our TCM reached its peak today? Regardless of any scholar or master, no one dares to make such a claim. Thus, TCM's status in academia remains questionable. Since we practice medicine as a science and a profession, we have no shirking responsibility to actively research and improve it; we must shoulder this task.

Look at Ye Tianshi's statements: He said that warm pathogens enter from above, first attacking the Lung, and may reversely transmit to the Pericardium. The Lung governs Qi and belongs to the Defensive level; the Heart governs Blood and belongs to the Nutritive level. Differentiating between Ying and Wei, Qi and Blood is similar to Cold Damage, but in terms of treatment methods, it is vastly different. The pathogen of Cold Damage lingers in the exterior before transforming into heat and entering the interior; warm pathogens transform into heat most rapidly. Before transmitting to the Pericardium, the pathogen remains in the Lung. The Lung governs Qi and connects with the skin and hair, hence it is said to be in the exterior. He also stated that the disease resembles Cold Damage, but the method to verify this is that Cold Damage often presents with changing syndromes, whereas warm diseases, even if prolonged, remain in one meridian without shifting. This serves as the differentiation. Ye Tianshi was a famous expert in TCM improvement who discovered the treatment of warm-heat diseases. Before Tianshi, physicians habitually treated warm diseases with Cold Damage methods, causing significant errors. Through Tianshi's improvement, these弊端 began to cease. Tianshi improved TCM through original thinking and finding his own path. Did he ever follow someone else's rear, walking when others walked, running when others ran, misattributing things, cutting feet to fit shoes, and yet boasting of being a new TCM improvement faction?

Zou Run'an had a precise understanding of Zhang Zhongjing's *Shanghan Lun*. Previous annotators of the *Shanghan Lun* spoke like Neo-Confucian philosophers discussing principles; while their arguments seemed logical, they ultimately felt idealistic and lacked practical grounding. Only Zou Run'an used the perspective of classical philology to uncover the underlying essence of Cold Damage. Zou Run'an is indeed a major improver among *Shanghan Lun* annotators. His discussions on herbs, formulas, and diseases each have clear boundaries. A formula changes by one herb, yet its primary indication is completely different; listing diverse manifestations yields similar therapeutic effects. Without analyzing similarities and differences, how can one understand the essence of herb properties? Diseases have slight variations that instantly distinguish Yin and Yang; when cold and heat coexist, one must master manipulation. Without questioning both extremes, how can one recognize the flexibility of prescription formulation? Therefore, in his writings, discussions on herbs lead directly to discussions on formulas, and eventually to discussions on diseases. From this, one can understand Mr. Zou's teachings. Although I have not read his *Shanghan Tongjie*, having read his *Benjing Shuzheng*, I am already very satisfied.

For internal damage and hematemesis (vomiting blood), TCM has never had a reliable treatment method. Only in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties did Mr. Ge Kejiu from Suzhou emerge. He studied internal damage extensively, formulated prescriptions based on syndromes, and established treatment methods. Although his prescription book attributes its origin to immortals and carries some mythical elements, the ten prescriptions are arranged in strict order, with ingenious combinations of herbs and organization of formulas, worthy of being a masterpiece. Ge Kejiu can be considered an improver of internal damage treatments.

When encountering diseases today, if we differentiate whether the meridian is Yang or Yin, whether the syndrome is Exterior or Interior, whether the pathogen is Cold or Heat, and whether the pulse is Excess or Deficiency, we can determine the syndrome and apply the appropriate treatment. Research work should begin this way, and improvement work should also proceed thus.

Regarding the work of improving TCM: The matter of improving TCM has caused chaos, but where does one distinguish between good and bad improvement? Where does one start with change versus no change? This is something those shouting high slogans about improvement should pay attention to.

Imitating Western medicine and borrowing its reputation is first, lacking ambition and progress; second, having lost the foundation of TCM while failing to rely on the foundation of Western medicine, leaving one without footing. If one actually does this, encountering bad actors might lead to lawsuits and legal sanctions. Therefore, the idea of imitating Western medicine should be abandoned.

To carve out one's own path and kill a bloody trail, one needs: first, insight. Without sufficient insight, one risks confusing right and wrong, black and white. Second, courage. Without sufficient courage, how can one be perseverant and advance bravely?

According to my biased view, regarding ancient texts, one must believe in truth, not in ancients. We researchers have a bad habit of conflating truth with ancient figures, refusing to analyze separately. Those studying the *Neijing* often argue that the *Neijing* was not written by the Yellow Emperor, citing evidence such as place names of the Twelve Provinces appearing only after Yu the Great tamed the waters, and the characters for wine and grain appearing only after Yu. It seems the importance of the *Neijing* lies in whether it was written by the Yellow Emperor, not in its accuracy. I alone assert that the *Neijing* was indeed written by the Yellow Emperor. If it contradicts truth, we cannot blindly follow it; if the *Neijing* was indeed not written by the Yellow Emperor but aligns perfectly with truth, we should still hold extreme faith in it.

Researchers have exhausted their minds distinguishing which sentences in Zhang Zhongjing's *Shanghan Lun* are original text and which were modified by Wang Shuhe, which lines should be moved forward, and which backward, treating it as a pastime after filling their bellies with plain rice. To me, Zhang Zhongjing is neither my brother-in-law nor my enemy, nor is Wang Shuhe. I never saw with my own eyes who held the pen. I now only look at whether it is reasonable. If Wang Shuhe is reasonable, I should believe it; if Zhang Zhongjing is unreasonable, I should refute it. Ancients are ancients, books are books, and principles are principles. Analyze them one by one without ambiguity. When encountering contradictions with logic and raising doubts, one must repeatedly investigate to seek thoroughness. Like Zou Run'an's annotation of the *Benjing* and reading of the *Shanghan*, not letting go of a single word or sentence, seeking profound meaning and logical consistency, this is true TCM improvement work: carving out one's own path, not relying on others or borrowing their reputation.

Those gentlemen intending to improve TCM, please sing fewer high-pitched songs and demonstrate your hard work under the snow window and firefly light for us to see.

My View on the *Shanghan Lun*: The *Shanghan Lun* is a notebook by Zhang Zhongjing, containing records of Six-Meridian syndromes written as casual notes.

As Zhongjing stated: "My clan was large, formerly over two hundred families. Since the Jian'an era, less than ten years have passed. Two-thirds have died, and seven out of ten deaths were due to Cold Damage. Grieving the loss of the past, mourning the untimely deaths that could not be saved," it is evident that the two hundred families of the Zhang clan lived together, and within ten years, two-thirds died. Since two-thirds died, the number of sick people must have been higher than two-thirds, implying not everyone who got sick died. Since seven out of ten deaths were due to Cold Damage, the number of people contracting Cold Damage must have been higher than seven out of ten, again implying not everyone who got sick died.

Considering that so many people contracted Cold Damage over ten years, and ancients valued clan ties highly, visiting the sick, uncles, brothers, sisters, and mothers-in-law, the Cold Damage patients were not treated solely by Zhongjing. Hence the record: "The physician used pills to purge, which was not the correct treatment." Zhongjing was not one to hide his skills or boast; he spoke all he knew and left nothing unsaid. Thus, the sorrow of "untimely deaths that could not be saved" lies beyond the words.

Casual records, accumulated over time, naturally formed a book. Later, Wang Shuhe, a discerning connoisseur, organized Zhongjing's original works by meridians, and the world came to know this *Shanghan Lun*. To me, Shuhe is still a great merit-maker for the *Shanghan Lun*.

Since the *Shanghan Lun* consists of casual records, each clause stands alone without sequential order. Why argue endlessly about which clause should come first and which last?

Indications for sweating, vomiting, and purging, and contraindications for these methods, are merely observations spoken upon seeing them.

In summary, reading the *Shanghan Lun* requires seeking truth from facts and treating based on syndromes, avoiding overly subtle thoughts and empty talk.

On Latent Pathogens: Wind, Cold, Summer-heat, and Dampness pathogens, whether contracted through the skin or inhaled through the mouth/nose, causing immediate illness, are called Acute Contractions.

The same pathogens, upon entering the human body, do not manifest immediately. They enter the meridians and collaterals, lying latent inside, waiting for the right moment to act, like hidden rebels. When politics are strict, they merely sigh while resting their hoes; once the opportunity arises, they raise banners and declare themselves kings. So when someone asks me, what disease is the pathogen, and where does it lie? I say, when it lies latent and motionless, even immortals cannot see through it. One must wait for some signs to appear to know.

There are various latent pathogens: latent wind syndrome, latent cold syndrome, latent summer-heat syndrome, and latent phlegm syndrome. The depth of latency varies, residing in the Ying level, Qi level, Blood level, Yang meridians, or Yin meridians.

In short, regardless of the depth of latency, latent pathogen syndromes will not activate without an acute external contraction. There is always an acute contraction first.