忆昔癸未秋,余在燕都,其时疫病大作。患者胸腹稍满,生白毛如羊,日死人数千,竟不知所名。有海昌明经李
君见之,曰∶“此痧也。”挑之以针,血出,病随手愈。于是城中舁而就医者,亦日以千计,皆得愈而去。顷之,症变
而为嗽,嗽甚轻,不半日随毙。时李君已出都。有知者曰∶“此亦痧也。”用前法挑之,亦随愈焉。余时目击其事,归而
与知医者言之,卒疑信交半,无何,则吾乡挑痧之法盛行矣。先是乡人有粪秽感痧,利用钱物蘸油而刮,及此多用
挑。然行之大都妇人,以故为名医者不道,及考诸医书,古时未有论及,后人稍有青筋之说,仍略而不详,因而求人之
信者少,疑者益多。用药之方,遂置之不论。人不幸犯是症,无得全者。噫!是可悯也。友人右陶郭君明理读书,旁
搜医学,见近之患痧者日益众,而治瘀者不闻,乃精心殚思,推原于小儿痧疹之理,兼求之古方,多有不言痧而见痧
之意者,且验之诸所救疗,无或爽,因以自信。遂发愿广之天下后世,为百千万人命之救,着有《玉衡》一书。右陶之
心切矣,右陶之功大矣!右陶尝言∶“痧本无定脉,凡脉与所患之症不相应者,即为痧之脉;痧亦无定症,或感风、感
食、感劳、感痰,而以本症治之不效者,皆为痧之症”。为立之方,使知遵也,为记之验,使知信也,后以药性终之,
使知用之有宜不宜,不与它症同也。右陶治痧之法,于是书乎全,而世人将读其书以治痧,兼以治右陶之所不及治。右
陶之心,于是大快。虽不欲居其功,功又安归哉!余既见痧之事,又信右陶之说,敢为之言,虽然不足为愚者道也。
时康熙十四年乙卯重阳日里人王庭题
Recall in the autumn of the Guiwei year, I was in Yanjing (Beijing), when an epidemic broke out on a large scale. Patients presented with slight fullness in the chest and abdomen, and white fur like sheep's wool grew on their tongues. Thousands died daily, and no one knew what disease it was. Li Jun, a Juren (provincial graduate) from Haichang, observed this and said, "This is Sha syndrome." Treatment involved pricking with needles to release blood, after which the illness healed immediately. Consequently, thousands were carried into the city seeking medical attention each day, all recovering and leaving. Shortly thereafter, the symptoms changed to coughing. The cough was mild, yet patients died within half a day. At that time, Li Jun had already left the capital. Those who understood remarked, "This is also Sha syndrome." Using the previous pricking method, they also recovered immediately. I witnessed these events personally. Upon returning home, I discussed them with those knowledgeable in medicine, resulting in equal shares of skepticism and belief. Before long, the needle-pricking method for Sha became prevalent in my hometown. Previously, locals suffering from Sha induced by filth used scraping with oil-dipped coins or objects; at this time, however, pricking was mostly used. Nevertheless, this practice was mainly performed by women, so renowned physicians did not mention it. Consulting medical texts, there were no ancient discussions on this condition. Later authors mentioned "green veins" but remained brief and unclear, leading to few believers and many skeptics. Prescriptions for medication were thus set aside. Unfortunately, those contracting this illness rarely survived. Alas! This is truly pitiable. My friend, Mr. Guo Mingli (courtesy name You Tao), while studying, extensively searched medical literature. Seeing the increasing number of Sha cases and the lack of methods for treating stasis, he pondered deeply, tracing the principles back to childhood exanthematous diseases (Sha zhen), and consulted ancient prescriptions. He found many ancient texts that did not explicitly mention "Sha" but contained the intent of treating it. These methods proved effective in various rescue attempts without failure, strengthening his confidence. He then vowed to spread this knowledge to the world and future generations to save millions of lives, authoring the book *Yu Heng*. Mr. You Tao's dedication was profound, and his merit great! Mr. You Tao once stated, "Sha has no fixed pulse; any pulse inconsistent with the presenting symptoms indicates Sha. Sha has no fixed symptoms; whether caused by wind, food stagnation, fatigue, or phlegm, if standard treatments fail, it is Sha." He established formulas for adherence, recorded efficacies for trust, and concluded with drug properties to clarify appropriate and inappropriate uses, distinguishing it from other diseases. The methods for treating Sha are comprehensively presented in this book. Readers will use this text to treat Sha and address cases beyond Mr. You Tao's scope. His aspirations are thereby fulfilled. Although he may wish to avoid credit, where else would the merit lie? Having witnessed Sha incidents and believing in Mr. You Tao's theories, I dare to write this preface, though these words may not be suitable for the ignorant. Written by Wang Ting, a fellow townsman, on the Double Ninth Festival of the Yimao year, 14th Year of Kangxi.