余先君有小儿卫生总微论方二十卷。家藏甚久。今六十余载矣。不知作者为谁。博加搜访。未尝闻此书之流播也。
自婴孩初育以至成童。所谓保卫其生。总括精微。视古今方书极为详尽。仁哉。着书者之心也。宗族亲旧间。幼稚有疾。
余每口传指授。效如影响。又取其可以通用于大人者。增汤剂而用之。尤为神异。岂此书不言之妙。有待于余而发耶。
乌可掩为一家之实。而不与人共之。于是集二三同志。订正其誊写之舛。锓于行在太医局。以广其传。得此者敬而用之。
当知余言不缪。或未免画蛇添足之讥。不暇顾矣。吁。齐鲁大臣。史失其名。恨不得详其人也。
嘉定丙午立春日和安大夫特差判太医局何大任序
凡为医之道。必先正己。然后正物。正己者。谓能明理以尽术也。正物者。谓能用药以对病也。如此。然后事必济
而功必着矣。若不能正己。则岂能正物，不能正物。则岂能愈疾。今冠于篇首。以劝学人。
凡为医者。性存温雅。志必谦恭。动须礼节。举止和柔。无自妄尊。不可矫饰。广收方论。
博通义理。明运气。晓阴阳。善诊切。精察视。辨真伪。分寒热。审标本。识轻重。疾小不可言大。事易不可云难。贫
富用心皆一。贵贱使药无别。苟能如此。于道几希。反是者。为生灵之巨寇。
凡为医者。遇有请召。不择高下。远近必赴。如到其家。须先问曾请未。会请师即问曾进是何汤药。已未经下。乃
可得知虚实也。如已曾经下。即虚矣。更可消息参详。则无误矣。又治小儿之法。必明南北禀受之殊。必察土地寒温之
异。不可一同施治。古人最为慎耳。
My late father left behind the *Xiao'er Weisheng Zongwei Lunfang* (General Treatise on Infant and Child Hygiene in Twenty Volumes). It has been kept in our family for a long time, over sixty years now. The author is unknown. Despite extensive searching and inquiry, I had not heard that this book was circulating.
From infancy to childhood, regarding the protection of life, it summarizes the essence and subtleties with great detail, far surpassing ancient and modern medical formularies. How benevolent is the heart of the author! Among my clansmen, relatives, and old friends, whenever young children fell ill, I would orally transmit and instruct them, and the efficacy was as immediate as an echo or shadow. I also selected parts applicable to adults, added decoction preparations, and used them, achieving particularly miraculous results. Could it be that the unspoken brilliance of this book awaits my discovery? How could I hide its value as a family treasure without sharing it with others? Thus, I gathered two or three like-minded individuals, corrected errors in transcription, and had it carved into blocks at the Imperial Medical Bureau in Hangzhou to spread its transmission. Those who obtain this book should use it with reverence and know that my words are not erroneous. Although I may incur criticism for adding unnecessary details, I have no time to care. Alas, the high officials of Qi and Lu, their names lost in history; I regret not being able to know the person in detail.
Preface by He Daren, Doctor He'an and Special Commissioner of the Imperial Medical Bureau, on the Day of Beginning of Spring in the Bingwu Year of Jiading.
The way of being a physician must first involve rectifying oneself, then rectifying things. Rectifying oneself means understanding principles to fully master techniques; rectifying things means using medicines to address diseases. Only then can affairs succeed and merits be evident. If one cannot rectify oneself, how can one rectify things? If one cannot rectify things, how can one cure illnesses? This is placed at the beginning of the chapter to encourage students of medicine.
A physician should possess a gentle and elegant temperament, humble and respectful aspirations, adhere to etiquette in actions, and behave with softness and harmony. One should not be arrogantly self-important nor artificially pretentious. One should extensively collect formulas and discussions, broadly understand theoretical principles, comprehend the movements of the Five Phases and Six Qi, understand Yin and Yang, be skilled in pulse diagnosis, precise in observation, capable of distinguishing truth from falsehood, differentiating cold and heat, examining root and branch, and recognizing severity. Do not describe minor ailments as major, nor easy cases as difficult. Treat the poor and the rich with equal diligence, and prescribe medications without distinction between noble and lowly. If one can act thus, one is close to the Dao. Conversely, such persons are great bandits against the lives of sentient beings.
When summoned, a physician should not discriminate based on status, but must attend regardless of distance. Upon arriving at the home, one must first ask if another doctor has been consulted. If so, inquire what decoctions were administered and whether purgatives have been used, to ascertain deficiency or excess. If purgatives have already been used, the patient is likely deficient. Further deliberation and detailed analysis will prevent errors. Furthermore, methods for treating children must account for differences in innate constitution between the North and South, and variations in climate due to geography. Treatment cannot be uniform. The ancients were most cautious in this regard.