戴人过曹南省亲，有姨表兄，病大便燥涩，无他证。常不敢饱食，饱则大便极难
，结实如针石，或三、五日一如圊，目前星飞，鼻中血出，肛门连广肠痛，痛极则发昏，服
药则病转剧烈。巴豆、芫花、甘遂之类皆用之，过多则困，泻止则复燥，如此数年，遂畏药性暴
急不服，但卧病待尽。戴人过诊其两手脉息，俱滑实有力。以大承气汤下之，继服神功丸、麻仁丸等药，
使食菠菱、葵菜及猪羊血作羹，百余日充肥。亲知见骇之。呜呼！粗工不知燥分四种∶燥于
外则皮肤皱揭；燥于中则精血枯涸；燥于上则咽鼻焦干；燥于下则便溺结闭。夫燥之为病，
是阳明化也。水寒液少，故如此。然可下之，当择之药之。巴豆可以下寒；甘遂芫花可下湿
；大黄朴硝可以下燥。《内经》曰∶辛以润之，咸以软之。《周礼》曰∶以滑养窍。
戴人过东杞，一妇人病大便燥结，小便淋涩，半生不娠，惟常服疏导之药，则大
便通利，暂废药则结滞。忽得孕，至四、五月间，医者禁疏导之药，大便根据常为难，临圊则力
努，为之胎坠。凡如此胎坠者三。又孕，已经三、四月，弦望前后，溲溺结涩，甘分胎陨，乃
访戴人。戴人诊其两手脉，俱滑大。脉虽滑大，以其且妊，不敢陡攻。遂以食疗之，用花碱
煮菠菱葵菜，以车前子苗作茹，杂猪羊血作羹，食之半载，居然生子，其妇燥病方愈。戴
人曰∶余屡见孕妇利脓血下迫，极努损胎，但同前法治之愈者，莫知其数也。为医拘常禁
，不能变通，非医也，非学也。识医者鲜，是难说也。
戴人路过曹南去探望亲戚，有一位姨表兄，患大便干燥涩滞之症，没有其他症状。他平时不敢吃饱，一旦吃饱，大便就极其困难，坚硬得像针石一样，或者三、五天才上一次厕所，眼前金星乱飞，鼻出血，肛门连接大肠处疼痛，痛到极致就会昏厥，服药后病情反而加剧。巴豆、芫花、甘遂这类峻下逐水药都用过了，用多了身体困顿，泻下停止后又恢复燥结，这样持续了数年，于是畏惧药性猛烈急迫而不再服药，只能卧床养病等待死亡。戴人经过诊察他的两手脉象，都滑实有力。于是用大承气汤（大黄、芒硝、枳实、厚朴组成的攻下剂）攻下，随后服用神功丸、麻仁丸等药物，并让他吃菠菜、冬葵菜以及猪羊血做的羹汤，一百多天后身体变得丰满健壮。亲友见到此景感到震惊。唉！庸医不知道燥证分为四种：燥在体表则皮肤皱裂脱屑；燥在体内则精血枯竭；燥在上部则咽喉鼻腔焦干；燥在下部则大小便闭塞不通。所谓燥邪致病，是阳明经气化异常所致。因为水液寒少、津液不足，所以出现这种情况。然而可以使用攻下法，但应当选择合适的药物。巴豆可以攻下寒积；甘遂、芫花可以攻下湿积；大黄、朴硝可以攻下燥结。《内经》说：辛味能润燥，咸味能软坚。《周礼》说：用滑利之物滋养孔窍。
戴人路过东杞，一位妇人患大便燥结，小便淋沥涩痛，半生未能怀孕，只有经常服用疏导通便的药物，大便才能通畅，暂时停药则又结滞不通。忽然怀孕，到了四、五个月时，医生禁止使用疏导药物，大便像往常一样困难，临上厕所以至用力努挣，导致胎堕。像这样因胎堕而流产的共有三次。再次怀孕，已经三、四个月，在农历初一或十五前后，小便结涩，胎儿最终流产，于是来拜访戴人。戴人诊察她的两手脉象，都滑大。脉象虽然滑大，但因为她还怀着孕，不敢贸然使用猛烈的攻下法。于是用食疗的方法治疗她，用花碱煮菠菜、冬葵菜，用车前子苗做蔬菜，混合猪羊血做成羹汤，吃了半年，竟然顺利生子，这位妇人的燥病也就痊愈了。戴人说：“我多次见到孕妇因便秘想解脓血而里急后重，极度努挣损伤胎儿，只要按照前面的方法治疗而痊愈的，多得数不清。那些被常规禁忌束缚的医生，不能变通，算不上真正的医生，也不算真正学习过医学。懂得医术的人很少，这很难说清楚。”
Dairen passed through Caonan to visit relatives. An uncle by marriage (cousin on the mother's side) suffered from dry and obstructed defecation, with no other symptoms. He usually dared not eat until full; if he did, his stool became extremely difficult to pass, hard as needles or stones, and he might only defecate once every three to five days. His vision would be filled with floating spots (asthenopia), blood would flow from his nose, and pain would radiate from the anus to the large intestine. When the pain reached its peak, he would faint. Taking medicine made the condition worse. He had used harsh purgatives such as Crotonis Fructus (Badou), Genkwa Flos (Yuanhua), and Kansui Radix (Gansui). Overuse left him exhausted, and when the diarrhea stopped, the dryness returned. This persisted for years, so he feared the violent nature of the medicines and refused to take them, lying in bed waiting for death. Dairen examined his pulses at both wrists and found them slippery, solid, and forceful. He administered Da Cheng Qi Tang (Major Order the Qi Decoction) to purge the bowels, followed by Shen Gong Wan (Divine Efficacy Pill) and Ma Ren Wan (Hemp Seed Pill). He advised the patient to consume spinach, Okra leaves (Malva verticillata), and soups made from pig and sheep blood. Within a hundred-plus days, the patient regained robust health. Relatives and acquaintances were astonished. Alas! Incompetent physicians do not know that dryness is divided into four types: dryness on the exterior causes skin wrinkling and scaling; dryness in the interior causes depletion of essence and blood; dryness in the upper jiao causes scorching dryness of the throat and nose; dryness in the lower jiao causes obstruction of urination and defecation. Diseases caused by dryness are transformations of the Yangming channel. Due to cold water and scant fluids, such conditions arise. However, purgation can be used, provided one selects appropriate herbs. Crotonis Fructus (Badou) can purge cold accumulation; Kansui Radix (Gansui) and Genkwa Flos (Yuanhua) can purge damp accumulation; Rhizoma Rhei (Dahuang) and Natrii Sulfas (Puxiao) can purge dry accumulation. The Neijing states: "Acrid flavors moisten, salty flavors soften." The Zhouli states: "Use slippery substances to nourish the orifices."
Dairen passed through Dongqi, where a woman suffered from dry and obstructed defecation and dribbling, painful urination. She had been unable to conceive for half her life. Only by regularly taking herbs to promote bowel movement could she defecate freely; stopping the medication led to immediate constipation. She suddenly became pregnant, but between the fourth and fifth months, doctors prohibited the use of laxatives. Her defecation became difficult as usual. Straining during defecation caused miscarriage. This happened three times. On her next pregnancy, after three or four months, around the new moon or full moon, her urination became obstructed and painful, and the fetus was lost again. She then sought out Dairen. Dairen examined her pulses at both wrists and found them slippery and large. Although the pulses were slippery and large, because she was pregnant, he dared not use aggressive purgation abruptly. Instead, he treated her with dietary therapy, using alkali (specifically flower ash/alkali) to boil spinach and okra leaves, preparing vegetables from Plantaginis Semen Sprout (Cheqianzi miao), and making soup with pig and sheep blood. After eating this regimen for half a year, she successfully delivered a child, and her dryness disease was cured. Dairen said, "I have often seen pregnant women suffering from tenesmus and straining due to constipation, which severely damages the fetus. Those cured by the aforementioned methods are countless. Physicians who are bound by conventional prohibitions and cannot adapt are not true physicians, nor have they truly studied medicine. Few people understand medicine; this is difficult to explain."