Library

Mr. Wei Liuzhou compiled the *Xu Mingyi Leian* (Continued Cases of Famous Physicians) in sixty volumes. Shortly after completing the manuscript, he passed away. Fortunately, it was included in the collection of the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) compilation bureau, preventing its loss. The *Siku Quanshu Zongmu Tiyao* (General Outline of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) criticized the work as messy and sloppy. For instance, in the "Jiao Men" (Category of Foot Diseases), there is a record stating that Zhang Wending suffered from a foot ailment and was cured by a Daoist priest using two mung beans, emphasizing that these were certainly not ordinary edible mung beans. Upon examination, this entry merely refers to the character "Xia Duo" (Purgation/Draining Downward). It implies receiving a medicine roughly the size of two mung beans, which is similar to a case involving Pu Nanren in the "Chong Men" (Category of Parasitic Diseases). However, the specific nature of that medicine remains unknown. Cases such as those of Qiu Rucheng in the "Zhong Zhang Men" (Category of Swelling and Distension) and Zhou Hanqing in the "Mu Men" (Category of Eye Diseases), totaling over ten entries, are unnecessary selections. Regarding accounts of the bizarre, they extend beyond the introductory mention of reviving the seemingly dead. Cases in the "Xie Sui Men" (Category of Evil Influences) concerning Jin Jianfeng's son, Cai Shihu, and residents of Zhang'an Town, as well as anecdotes like Yuan Zai exorcising wine demons or removing labor spirits with unkempt hair, could all be deleted. There are also more than ten duplicate cases, including some that were explicitly noted as excluded in self-annotations yet still included in the compilation. Omissions, missing pages, and errors are too numerous to count. Furthermore, appended personal cases do not identify the author until the section on postpartum mania in Volume 36, where names are finally marked. Moreover, the beginning lacks a preface and table of contents, clearly indicating it is a rough draft created initially without revision or finalization. I have pointed out these issues, supplemented the table of contents, and revised it into thirty-six volumes. Yang Suyuan, the Magistrate of Dingzhou, intended to publish the book but was hindered by current events; thus, he attached this summary here, awaiting correction from scholars.

Written by Disciple Wang Shixiong at Qianzhai in mid-winter of the Gui Chou year (1853); recorded by Ling Dejia Liu of Huzhou, who was assisting in proofreading while residing in Shanghai, in mid-autumn of the Gui Hai year (1863).

Physicians having case records is akin to historians having biographies; it serves not only to record physicians. Examining historical texts, there are biographies of artisans and specialists, where physicians are listed. These often detail the individuals themselves while briefly mentioning their techniques, which fits the stylistic convention. Since Zhang Gao of the Song Dynasty wrote the ten-volume *Yi Shuo* (Medical Sayings), discussions on ancient and modern physicians began, evaluating their successes and failures. In the Ming Dynasty, the Jiang father and son authored the twelve-volume *Mingyi Leian* (Cases of Famous Physicians), covering 250 categories. They collected past verified treatments and theories, attaching comments below each case. Their differentiation of syndromes was quite accurate, allowing it to be included in the Subcategory of Arts and Crafts within the Qing Dynasty's national bibliography alongside *Xue Shi Yi An* (Cases of Physician Xue) and *Shishan Yi An* (Cases of Shishan). During the Qianlong reign, Wei Yuheng from Zhejiang, famous for his medical skills, found the previous work incomplete and extensively compiled the sixty-volume *Xu Mingyi Leian*. It supplemented many omissions from the Jiang book, particularly regarding content from the Ming Dynasty onwards. Although richly collected and somewhat cluttered, its extensive references and comprehensive coverage of varied syndromes make it valuable for verification. Notes attached to each item provide especially detailed dialectical corrections. It truly deserves recognition as a meritorious contributor to Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) traditions and a flourishing achievement in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Initially published by Bao Yiwen of Huizhou and Shexian, it became widely popular within a century. After wars and fires, the printing blocks were lost, and copies of this book became rare. Peng Xiaogao, an Inspector, was devoted to books and history, skilled in textual criticism, possessing strong mental and physical energy, comparable in elegance to the owner of Zhibuzu Zhai (The Hall of Knowing What Is Not Enough). His collections in Guangdong benefited the scholarly community; books on governance and lineage were meticulously printed and widely distributed. Now, he has decided to reprint this life-saving text, demonstrating immense benevolence. As the book nears completion, he entrusted me with writing the postscript. Though unskilled in literature, I have engaged with medicine. I believe histories enrich statecraft, while medicine entrusts life and death; both are disciplines for governing people, not merely recording names. One must select the essence and discard the dross, choosing wisely and learning well—why should medicine be any different? If discussing the Way of Medicine itself, Mr. Hang Jinpu and Mr. Yu Qiushi have indeed spoken in detail and comprehensively.

Written together by Pan Junyou of Wanjing in the Bing Xu year (1886) at the Lingxi Official Residence.