夫医首重望闻,次贵问切,人皆知之矣。至于痧,而望闻有所未明,问切有所未尽,医其可以已乎?吾观世有暗痧
而人不识,往往多误,则曷不取痧筋以验之。盖针锋所刺,不过锋尖微微入肉,有痧毒者,方有紫黑血流;若无痧毒者,
其锋尖虽刺,点滴全无。故痧有痧筋可辨,亦如别病之有别症可辨也。然则痧筋所现者,青紫之色,所原者,乃本于血
中之有其毒欤。夫血中有毒,既无可消,自宜知放,放有不尽,则宜刮、宜药,审寒凉而权轻重,借草木以挽凶危。凡
以驱夫痧毒之所留滞者,而救其大命焉尔。奈何有不信痧者,徒受夫痧症之实祸,而甘心于自毙乎。
痧若紧者,只在顷刻,慢者,或期至十日半月而死,或期至一月二月而死,甚有期至三四月而死,此诚痧之慢矣。
而余谓必须速治者,毋乃忧人之太过乎?而不知其非也。夫痧之致人于死者,虽有如是之久,而其痧毒蔓延于肠胃、经
络间者,正多凶险之处,即如痧毒滞结于身之或左或右,或上或下、或里或中或表,既有若是之滞结者,必不尤然若是
之滞结而已也。将且在内者,先坏脏腑,在中者,先损经络,在表者,先溃肌肉。虽未即毙,而其难治之形必然先见,
若一不治,便成死症。慢痧之可畏也如是,安可以死日之慢,而不速为之早治乎。
In medicine, observation (Wang) and listening/smelling (Wen) are prioritized, followed by inquiry (Wen) and palpation/pulse diagnosis (Qie); this is well known to all. However, regarding Sha syndrome (a condition characterized by toxic heat or stasis manifesting as skin changes), observation and listening may not be fully illuminating, and inquiry and palpation may not exhaustively reveal the pathology; can a physician simply cease treatment? I observe that in the world there are cases of "hidden Sha" (An Sha) that go unrecognized, often leading to misdiagnosis. Therefore, why not use the examination of "Sha Jin" (visible subcutaneous veins indicating Sha toxin) to verify it? When the needle tip pierces the flesh slightly, only those with Sha toxin will have dark purple-black blood flow out; for those without Sha toxin, even if pierced by the needle tip, not a single drop of blood appears. Thus, Sha syndrome can be distinguished by Sha Jin, just as other diseases are distinguished by their specific symptoms. The color presented by Sha Jin is cyanotic-purple; its origin lies in the presence of toxins within the blood, does it not? Since these toxins in the blood cannot be eliminated solely by medication, one should naturally know to employ bloodletting. If bloodletting does not completely expel the toxin, then scraping (Gua Sha) or herbal medicine is appropriate. One must assess the cold-cool nature of the pathogen to weigh the severity of treatment, utilizing the properties of herbs to rescue from critical danger. All this serves to drive out the retained Sha toxin and save the patient's life. Why do some people disbelieve in Sha syndrome, suffering the real calamity of Sha manifestations, and resign themselves to death?
If Sha attacks rapidly, death may occur within moments; if it is slow, death may come in ten days or half a month, or even in one or two months, and sometimes up to three or four months; this is indeed what is called "Slow Sha." Yet I insist on immediate treatment; is this excessive worry? No, it is not. Although the course leading to death from Sha may seem prolonged, the Sha toxin spreading through the intestines, stomach, meridians, and collaterals harbors many perilous situations. For instance, if Sha toxin stagnates and knots in the body—whether on the left or right, upper or lower, interior or exterior—it will not remain stagnant in that state alone. It will proceed to damage the internal Zang-Fu organs first, injure the meridians and collaterals in the middle, and ulcerate the muscles on the surface first. Although death does not occur immediately, the signs of incurability will inevitably appear beforehand. If left untreated, it becomes a fatal case. Such is the terror of Slow Sha. How can one refrain from early and rapid treatment merely because the date of death seems distant?