Library

The incidence of miscellaneous diseases in women is the same as that in men, except for disorders related to menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth, which form a distinct category. The derivations and subdivisions within this category are countless, and their variations are inexhaustible. A review of various medical texts reveals that although each syndrome has its own discussion, these discussions often fail to thoroughly grasp the actual nature of the disease; although there are various prescriptions, they do not fully account for the flexibility required in treatment. Consequently, practitioners treating women's diseases often rely on one or two formulas to treat numerous conditions. When these prove ineffective, they find themselves at a loss. This is due to the incompleteness of their methods.

Apart from the ancient text *Chanbao Daquan* (Complete Essentials of Obstetrics), only Xue Xinpu (Xue Ji) expanded upon previous works, supplementing what was lacking in earlier writings. However, his *Yi'an* (Medical Cases) includes miscellaneous diseases alongside gynecological ones, and his theories and prescriptions for women show no significant difference from those used for men. Later, I encountered *Nüke Zhunsheng* (Standard Rules for Gynecology) compiled by my fellow examinee Wang Yutai. It extensively collected materials, covering both ancient and modern knowledge. Nevertheless, it also followed Xue's precedent by including all miscellaneous diseases, resulting in redundancy and superfluity. Furthermore, its categorization was disorganized and lacked logical sequence, making it difficult for readers unfamiliar with the content to grasp the essentials quickly.

Having devoted myself to this field for many years, I took advantage of my spare time from official duties to personally collect relevant information. I excluded general miscellaneous diseases and focused exclusively on conditions unique to women, compiling them into a single book. Organized by categories and subcategories, with "Gang" (Outline) serving as the main headings and "Mu" (Details) as the subheadings, I named this work *Jiyin Gangmu* (Outline and Details for Aiding Women).

Each syndrome is discussed individually, detailing its cold, heat, deficiency, excess, root and branch aspects, as well as superficial and deep levels, thereby thoroughly understanding its nature. Corresponding prescriptions are provided for each. The appropriate use of warming, cooling, tonifying, and purging methods, along with considerations of urgency and severity, are fully explored. It is hoped that readers can easily identify diseases through the discussions and select prescriptions accordingly. Upon opening the book, the structure will be clear and manageable, enabling even mediocre physicians to achieve effective results readily.

However, medicine relies on intuitive understanding. Xu Yizong was skilled in healing but did not write books, stating that what is understood intuitively cannot always be expressed in words. My compilation consists entirely of remnants of previous scholars' work. I claim that one may understand medical principles through these texts, but not that these texts exhaust all medical knowledge. It is up to the diligent learner to internalize and illuminate these teachings, applying them flexibly. With such an approach, achieving the subtle skill of Bian Que carving wheels or the dexterity of the old man catching cicadas should not be difficult.