Library

A young man from a wealthy family suffered from a chicken bone lodged in his throat. Despite numerous attempts to treat it, he could not be cured, and his family was in a panic. Suddenly, an old man arrived, claiming to have a clever technique that would remove the obstruction manually without the need for medicinal decoctions. The wealthy man expressed deep gratitude and offered him one thousand strings of cash. The old man said to him, "Quickly fetch two items: fresh cotton wadding and white sugar. Wrap the sugar in the cotton to the size of a plum, and let your son swallow it. Once it enters the throat, leave half of the cotton outside. Pull it gently at intervals to induce itching in the throat. Suddenly, phlegm and saliva will surge out, and the bone will stick to the cotton." The wealthy man was overjoyed, paid him as agreed, and the old man departed.

Recently, I learned of the younger brother of Qu Xiang, a censor from Changshu, who was about seventeen or eighteen years old, literate, and capable of writing essays. He accidentally had a fish bone lodged in his throat. Someone advised crushing the root of *Bletilla striata* (Bai E Hua Gen) to extract juice for him to drink. After consuming approximately one cup, his throat rotted the next day, and he died from inability to eat. Alas! Confucius did not consume medicines whose properties were unknown. Today, this young scholar entrusted his life to the hands of an incompetent practitioner; how tragic.

Zhou Panshi Guan, a fellow townsman of mine, suffered from a carbuncle on his back with a wound that failed to heal for a long time. He summoned the surgeon Xu Tingli for treatment. Xu consistently prescribed *Tuoli Shixuan Er San* (Two Powders for Supporting the Interior and Promoting Ten Acupoints) for internal use, but to no avail. Xu told Zhou, "If you invite Sheng Yongmei to consult together, we can manage this. Otherwise, my skills are exhausted." Soon, Sheng arrived. His pulse diagnosis and medication regimen were largely similar to Xu's, but he added five qian of *Renshen* (Ginseng Radix) and slightly increased the effect using *Fuzi* (Aconite Lateralis Radix Praeparata). After taking the medicine, both feet became warm, spreading upwards. He said to his son, "Why is today's medicine so miraculous? I suddenly feel refreshed and energetic." After ten days of administration, the wound healed flat. In the early years of our dynasty, old doctors in Wu often used *Fuzi*, treating diseases with the precision of Cook Ding carving an ox, always hitting the vital points. Recent physicians have discarded its use, and I wonder what their reasoning is.

The *Neijing* states: "Due to overeating, tendons and vessels become slack and disordered; the intestines suffer from damp-heat forcing downward, resulting in hemorrhoids." This disease is caused by damp-heat from the Spleen and Stomach forcing downward into the Large Intestine. Some cases persist for years without cure. Suo Ju's *Xinshu* states: "Engaging in sexual intercourse after heavy drinking and overexertion leads to hemorrhoidal fistulas, which are particularly difficult to treat." Although there are many formulas, few are effective. Lu Wenliang, Grand Secretary of my hometown, suffered severely from hemorrhoids while stationed in Xuanfu, unable to recover for a long time. Eunuch Gong Sheng secretly transmitted a formula: use *Kujushu* (Lactuca indica), fresh or dried, boil in water until soft and well-cooked. Place the liquid in a new bucket and sit over it to fumigate. When the liquid is warm, rub the *Kujushu* and wash frequently; when cold, stop. Wash several times a day. By the next day, it proved effective, surpassing other prescriptions. *Ju* is also known as *Qu*, or *Kuzhecai*. People in Huizhou regard it as a vegetable. Its nature is bitter and cold, non-toxic, with a red color resembling buckwheat, remaining evergreen in winter. It corresponds to the "bitter herb flourishing" mentioned in the *Yueling* (Monthly Ordinances). It is abundant in the North and also found in the South.