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Fan Zhongyan once said, "If one cannot serve as a capable prime minister, one should become a capable physician." A capable prime minister assists the ruler in governance, establishing political order to alleviate the hunger and cold of the people. A capable physician diagnoses patterns and establishes prescriptions, using herbal medicines to save people from premature death or severe illness. Although their duties differ, their intent to save lives is the same. However, Su Dongpo stated, "Medicines are administered by the hands of physicians, but prescriptions are mostly inherited from ancients. If they have already been verified in practice, it is not necessary that they must be original creations." Scholars residing among the common people, yet harboring the heart to save lives, how can they fail to extensively examine medical texts and rely solely on subjective assumptions and self-will?

Furthermore, there are two categories of diseases difficult for physicians to treat, with pediatric cases being more difficult than those of women. Among pediatric diseases, there are two types that are particularly difficult, with measles (Mazhen) being more difficult than smallpox (Douchuang). This is not out of disrespect for smallpox or an attempt to boast my own views. Rather, measles appears mild but is actually severe and more dangerous than smallpox. Moreover, since ancient times, books on treating smallpox have numbered over a hundred, with specialized disciplines established; whereas books on treating measles are rarely seen, leading to a lack of master teachers. Smallpox has methods for "transmitting the seed," allowing for regulation and prevention before onset. Measles, however, depends entirely on climatic conditions, making prior prevention impossible. Physicians often find themselves helpless when facing clinical cases. Internal medicine specialists, seeing patients are infants, delegate them to pediatrics; pediatricians, seeing measles resembles smallpox, delegate them to smallpox specialists. The unobservant public assumes smallpox and measles are interchangeable, believing a smallpox doctor can treat measles. Although both are considered fetal toxins, smallpox originates from the Five Zang Organs (Zang organs belong to Yin, which governs Blood); thus, smallpox presents with form and pustules, accompanied by both cold and heat symptoms. Measles emerges from the Six Fu Organs (Fu organs belong to Yang, which governs Qi); thus, measles presents with form but no pustules, characterized mainly by excess-heat without cold. Smallpox values sparsity, while measles values dense eruption. Smallpox is beautiful when Qi is robust and Blood adheres; measles is wondrous when Blood is cooled and muscle pores resolve. Smallpox contraindicates sweating and purging to avoid draining Qi; measles benefits from vomiting and epistaxis to disperse and eliminate pathogens. The difference between the two is vast, distinct as water and fire. To demand a smallpox doctor to treat measles is like demanding Yu the Great to manage fire or Bo Yi to manage water; how could this yield results? Yet this is not entirely the fault of physicians. Physicians are not devoid of conscience; who does not possess the heart to save lives? Who willingly accepts the reputation of killing? Intending to save but instead causing death—what is the reason? It is precisely because medical texts on measles are scarce, leaving later learners without standards for reference. Even existing copies are often vague and imprecise, lacking the clarity found in smallpox texts. No wonder physicians are at a loss, watching patients die without being able to rescue them.

I was never trained in medicine, but upon witnessing many children dying of measles, I was stirred by a sudden desire to save lives. Therefore, whenever I encountered records of measles diagnosis and treatment in medical collections, I accumulated them on my desk, exploring day and night, delving deeply into their mysteries, and gaining personal insights. In the summer of Jiayin year, I obtained a volume titled *Measles Pattern Differentiation* by Master Jingyuan from a friend, followed by two volumes of secret manuscripts on measles science. Carefully studying the pattern differentiation and prescription establishment in these two books, I found them more refined and detailed compared to *Mi Zhai Quan Shu*, *Zhang Shi Yi Tong*, and *Zhu Shi Ding Lun*. However, I still lamented their incompleteness. Thus, I extracted discussions on measles and related prescriptions from various works such as *Lian Xing Xin Fa*, *Jing Yue Ma Quan*, and *Jing Yan Zhi Fa*. I used what was available here to supplement deficiencies elsewhere, and enriched sparse content with detailed information from other sources. For instances where medication taboos were inappropriate or prescriptions contradicted medical principles, I arrogantly offered my own views and corrected them based on my own effective trials. From the initial prodromal stage to eruption, resolution, and post-resolution, the pattern differentiation is clear, and treatment formulas are comprehensive, enabling future learners to understand clearly upon opening the book, having a model to follow, and avoiding helplessness during treatment. Although some repetition exists, it is due to theoretical necessity, so I did not hesitate to restate them, facilitating extensive review by eminent physicians and preventing omissions. A skilled artisan obtaining this book, applying it divinely, can certainly achieve life-saving effects; a mediocre artisan obtaining it, rigidly adhering to it, can also avoid the tragedy of killing.

From Jiayin year to the present, fifteen years have passed, with five rounds of practical application. This spring, measles erupted severely with unusual variations, resulting in many deaths and disabilities. All cases treated by me achieved complete success. Desiring to share my humble insights with like-minded colleagues, I compiled and edited this work into four volumes, naming it *Ma Ke Huo Ren Quan Shu* (Complete Book of Measles Science for Saving Lives), intending to submit it to printers for publication and seek guidance from contemporary masters. Regrettably, household expenses increase daily, and my purse is empty. Having the heart to save lives but lacking the means is not my wish. I only hope benevolent gentlemen will publish and disseminate this book, allowing it to spread throughout the land, so that children across the country will no longer perish from measles. Then, the merit of saving lives will be transmitted alongside Fan Zhongyan's, and my minor efforts in editing would be unworthy of mention. This is the preface.

Written by Xie Yuqiong of Puzhai, Chixi, Ancheng, in the Zhuang Month of Guimao Year (1753), 13th Year of Qianlong Reign.