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In the treatment of surgical diseases (Waike), it is crucial at the onset to prevent the lesion from enlarging, and as it matures, to ensure it does not cause severe pain. If the lesion enlarges, it damages muscles and ulcerates the skin, potentially rotting bones and piercing tendons, making wound closure difficult; if pain is severe, it may shock the heart and invade the stomach, depleting blood and body fluids, thereby giving rise to various malignant conditions. Therefore, at the initial stage, the most critical measure is the application of Wei Yao (external restraining medicaments) to bind the root and base of the lesion, intercept residual toxins, so that the swelling will naturally elevate and pus will form easily. Subsequently, internal treatment with Hu Xin Tuo Du (Heart-protecting and toxin-expelling methods) should be employed, while external treatment with Hua Fu Ti Nong (putrefaction-resolving and pus-elevating methods) should be applied, naturally leading to a transition from danger to safety.

However, some practitioners fail to restrain the toxin to keep the lesion small at the beginning, and lack formulas for Heart-protection and pain relief. They rely solely on external applications such as Wu Hui San (Five Ash Powder) and San Pin Yi Tiao Qiang (Three Grades Single-Needle), and internally administer hot-toxin-clearing herbs like Guizhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction) and Fuzi (Aconite Root). This inevitably leads to intestinal rotting and flesh ulceration, followed by the reckless use of knives and needles. Cutting flesh and severing tendons causes patients to cry out in agony, become confused and disoriented, lose their spirit and soul, and writhe in torment seeking death, which is what benevolent physicians cannot bear to witness. Moreover, using knives too early for carbuncles and ulcers makes it extremely difficult for flesh to regenerate and wounds to close. Poisonous drugs and knives/needles are only suitable for stubborn dead flesh and old calloused skin; other situations have their own methods for elevating pus and drawing out toxins. For foul flesh, there are specific formulas to dissolve putrefaction and convert it into fluid, thus ensuring the patient feels no pain, achieving rapid results, and allowing quick recovery of spirit. Yet these excellent methods are entirely ignored. Is it due to inaccurate transmission, or perhaps ulterior motives?

Even more shocking is that dietary restrictions are paramount in treating sores and ulcers; all fresh, raw, and toxic foods must strictly be avoided, as recorded in every medical text. Yet modern practitioners often instruct patients to specifically ingest toxic substances, claiming this is "using toxicity to combat toxicity." If resolving toxicity is already feared to be ineffective, how can one increase toxicity? Such errors are too numerous to recount. Occasionally, patients with external lesions do not appreciate safe and steady treatments; instead, when treated with poisonous drugs and knives/needles, resulting in dripping blood and flesh, and experiencing near-death pain, they regard the physician's skills as highly proficient, express deep admiration, and recommend them widely. From this, we can infer that the suffering and life-and-death outcomes of diseases seem predetermined, beyond human control, and the suffering inflicted upon patients by physicians is also somehow invited by the patients themselves.

Generally, only exogenous diseases (Wai Gan Bing) can be cured solely by taking decoctions; for all other conditions, treatments must be tailored to the disease, utilizing pills, powders, ointments, elixirs, acupuncture, moxibustion, Bian stone therapy, scarification, soaking/washing, hot compresses, fumigation, pus-elevation, and massage. However, contemporary physicians, lacking capital and sparing effort, do not study ancient formulas nor inherit manual techniques. They merely copy a general-purpose decoction formula, believing their skills are complete. Meanwhile, patients travel great distances and pay heavy fees, satisfied simply to obtain a single decoction formula. The ancient sages exhausted their minds to create various therapeutic methods, yet today these are completely disregarded. It is unreasonable to expect curing major and chronic diseases under such circumstances. Thus, while mild and superficial illnesses may still be cured by decoctions today, chronic and severe diseases will merely drag on over years without hope of cure. Therefore, physicians must extensively seek various treatment methods to meet patients' needs. As for commonly used medicines that cannot be immediately prepared, they should be processed in advance for emergency use. As the saying goes, "A craftsman who wishes to do good work must first sharpen his tools." How can one wish to employ the art of saving lives while possessing no tools to save lives?