Library

Practitioners consider pediatrics to be the most difficult specialty, referring to it as the "Mute Department" (Ya Ke), because infants and children cannot verbally describe their pain or illness. Quoting Huangdi (Yellow Emperor): "I do not treat the young as a separate category for management."

I, however, hold a different view. Infants and children have not yet been assaulted by the Seven Emotions (Qi Qing) and Six Desires (Liu Yu); their Zang-Fu organs have not been soaked in the rich flavors of Eight Treasures (Ba Zhen) and Five Flavors (Wu Wei). Therefore, when administered medicine, therapeutic effects are easily achieved. This is akin to how diseases arising from rich diets among the wealthy are hard to exhaustively address, whereas those with simple diets recover easily. How can this be called difficult? However, ancient and modern compilations of pediatric texts have none that are satisfactory. *Xin Jian* is messy and impure; *Lei Cui* is rough and superficial; *Xin Shu* contains only ancient methods without contemporary ones; *Bai Wen* omits much while listing little. These books circulate widely but are insufficient to serve as the standard benchmark (Zhun Sheng) for pediatrics. Thus, I compiled this work, paying particular attention to the chapters on smallpox (Ma Dou). Throughout my life, I collected over a hundred books on smallpox and measles, mostly secret formulas guarded jealously and not transmitted for a thousand gold pieces. Yet, most were trivial and crude, unworthy of selection, further revealing the lack of discernment in the world. Someone asked: "Human diseases, regardless of gender, age, or seniority, do not transcend the Five Zang Organs. Why do you classify other specialties generally, but specifically divide pediatrics according to the Five Zang Organs?" I replied: "Precisely because their spirits are unassailed by emotions and desires, and their organs unsoaked by rich foods, they suffer primarily from disorders of Zang Qi excess, deficiency, overacting, and subduing (Sheng Cheng). Incompetent physicians fail to investigate precisely and instead guess arbitrarily, saying 'this is internal injury,' 'that is external contraction,' 'this is phlegm,' 'that is fright,' 'this is heat.' They recklessly administer decoctions and pills, aiming to expel disease, causing mild cases to become severe and severe cases to result in death. Even if some recover by luck, their True Yuan (Zhen Yuan) is damaged, and their natural lifespan shortened. I divide pediatrics by the Five Zang Organs for this very reason." Shen Taisu, Grand Secretary of Ceremonies, sent me one hundred taels of his salary from Daliang to assist with printing costs. At that time, the manuscript was just completed, so I engaged craftsmen to carve the blocks. It took another year to finish. I therefore wrote this preface to record these events, allowing future generations to examine them.
In the summer of the Dingwei year, the 35th year of the Wanli reign, on the 23rd day of the fifth month.
Written by Nianxi Jushi (Layman Nianxi), Wang Kentang, courtesy name Yutai.