尝闻秦越人疗疮疡以 脂凤卵。俞拊疗疮疡以麟腊龟趾。术贵则药奇。宗兄斗垣公以
儒生早岁游侠建康。HT 牛首燕矶栖霞茅君洞天诸名胜。多遇异人授异方。知白日冲举之术。
乃厌薄儒。而间以其绪窥医。尤精外科。其方针藏肘后。亦颇济人。人莫测其秘。试之。
病辄收奇迹。全活人无算。公丰神俊爽。两眸烨烨映。一见知非常人。年近耆而不屑以指
使。不佞弟尝侍公。公曰。若知医乎。医者意也。得意者亡法。何论方。然秦越人以神医
闻。必先受禁方长桑君所。奈何废方。世医棼知。率未及一笑。而求谐六律隶奉常甚者托
言师心。倍轩岐四氏而自用。彼剽陈言为神。悖矣。师心蔑 古悖之悖矣。与其师心。毋
宁执方。与其执方。毋宁穷理。理者玄之又玄。君臣佐使异用。寒热虚实异齐。多寡轻重
异宜。亢承异制。不即方。不离方。妙在得意是之谓。玄道在是矣。乃出一编名外科启玄。
不佞弟手是编而卒业。论凡一佰二十有奇。毒发类凡二百三十有奇。方凡一千有奇。
析为十二卷。合为一编。不欲针藏肘后。行且寿剞劂氏。以公之九围千 。盖欲登世世于
寿域。公之阴行善使学医者HT 。用仁心何深挚哉。不但术贵药奇而已。因思吾宗肇自轩辕。
为医鼻祖。至唐开元间。进士秦芝公白日冲举。赐号妙寂灵修真人。为吾家乘祖。其他文
武忠孝。姑未暇论。即公知白日冲举之术。又以外科启玄。先以伤寒观舌心法二书行世。真
其苗裔耶。抑闻祖先神圣发祥。后有子姓。必有克肖者兴。以缵修前烈。良不诬矣。公姓
申氏讳拱辰。字子极。别号斗垣。委不佞弟题诸简末。忝在一体。而分敢以不文辞辄不逊
而为之序。
时万历三十有二载岁德次舍甲辰
菊月吉旦从弟五常拜手撰
我曾听说秦越人治疗疮疡使用脂凤卵。俞拊治疗疮疡使用麟腊龟趾。技术高超则药物奇特。我的同宗兄长斗垣公，年轻时以儒生身份在建康（今南京）一带游侠。他游历牛首山、燕矶、栖霞茅君洞天等名胜古迹。多次遇到异人传授奇异药方。知晓白日飞升成仙的方法。于是厌恶轻视儒家学说。偶尔借此窥探医学。尤其精通外科。他的处方秘藏于肘后（指随身携带的医书或秘方）。也颇能救济世人。人们无法猜透他的秘密。一旦试用。病情往往取得奇迹般的效果。救活的人不计其数。斗垣公风度神采俊朗潇洒。双眼明亮有神。一见便知不是普通人。年近七十岁却不屑于被人差遣使唤。我不才之弟曾侍奉在斗垣公身边。公说：你懂医学吗？医学在于意念领悟。领悟了精髓就不拘泥于方法。何况是方剂呢。然而秦越人以神医闻名。必定先接受长桑君授予的禁方。为何要废弃方剂呢？世间的医生纷乱无知。大多还不足以让人一笑置之。那些自称师从心法、背离岐伯、雷公、扁鹊、华佗四家而自以为是的人。他们剽窃陈旧的言论当作神妙之术。这是荒谬的。师从内心、蔑视古人更是荒谬中的荒谬。与其师从内心，不如执守方剂。与其执守方剂，不如穷究医理。医理是深奥玄妙的。君臣佐使的配伍用法不同。寒热虚实的调理原则各异。多寡轻重的剂量适宜有别。亢盛与承制的制约制度不同。不脱离方剂，也不拘泥于方剂。妙处在于领悟精髓。这就叫做玄道在此了。于是编出一本书名为《外科启玄》。我不才之弟手捧此书完成学业。论述凡一百二十多篇。毒发类证凡二百三十多篇。方剂凡一千多个。分为十二卷。合为一编。不想让秘方只藏在肘后。即将刻印出版。以此公开九围千里的知识。大概是希望让世人进入长寿的境界。斗垣公暗中行善，让学医者受益。他的仁爱之心多么深厚真挚啊。不仅仅是技术高超药物奇特而已。因而想到我们宗族起源于轩辕黄帝。他是医学的鼻祖。到了唐代开元年间。进士秦芝公白日飞升。被赐号妙寂灵修真人。成为我们家谱中的祖先。其他文武忠孝的事迹。暂且不论。就斗垣公知晓白日飞升之术。又通过《外科启玄》以及先行世行的《伤寒观舌心法》两本书来看。他真是轩辕的后裔吗？或者听说祖先神圣发祥。后代子孙中。必定有能够效仿兴起的人。来继承修缮前人的功业。这确实没有虚假。斗垣公姓申名拱辰。字子极。别号斗垣。委托我不才之弟题写于书末。我与他同宗一体。不敢以文辞拙劣推辞。冒昧地写了这篇序言。
时万历三十二年，岁次甲辰。九月吉日。堂弟申五常恭敬地撰写。
I have heard that Qin Yueren treated sores and ulcers with "Zhi Feng Luan" (a specific medicinal preparation). Yu Fu treated sores and ulcers with "Lin La Gui Zhi" (another specific medicinal preparation). When the technique is noble, the medicine is extraordinary. My elder kinsman, Gong Douyuan, was a Confucian scholar in his early years who wandered as a knight-errant in Jiankang (modern Nanjing). He visited famous scenic spots such as Niushou Mountain, Yanji, and Qixia Maoyundong. He often met unusual people who taught him unusual prescriptions. He knew the art of ascending to immortality while alive. Thus, he despised and looked down upon Confucianism, and occasionally glimpsed into medicine through this background. He was especially proficient in external medicine (Waike). His prescriptions were hidden in his sleeve (referring to secret medical knowledge carried on one's person), yet he did much good for people. People could not fathom his secrets. When tested, the results were invariably miraculous, saving countless lives. Gong had a handsome and vigorous demeanor, with bright and shining eyes; from a single glance, one could tell he was no ordinary person. Approaching the age of sixty or seventy, he disdained being ordered about by others. I, your humble younger brother, once attended upon him. He said, "Do you understand medicine? Medicine lies in mental comprehension. One who grasps the essence needs no fixed methods, let alone fixed prescriptions." However, Qin Yueren was renowned as a divine physician precisely because he first received forbidden prescriptions from Changsang Jun. Why discard prescriptions? Modern physicians are confused and ignorant, mostly unworthy even of a smile. Some claim to follow their own minds, deviating from the teachings of Qi Bo, Lei Gong, Bian Que, and Hua Tuo, acting arbitrarily. They plagiarize old words and call them divine; this is absurd. To follow one's own mind and despise the ancients is the height of absurdity. Rather than following one own mind, it is better to adhere to prescriptions. Rather than adhering to prescriptions, it is better to exhaustively investigate principles. Principles are profound and mysterious. The roles of Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, and Courier (Jun-Chen-Zuo-Shi) vary in application. Cold, Heat, Deficiency, and Excess require different balances. Dosages vary in quantity and weight according to appropriateness. Systems of excess and subjugation differ in regulation. One should neither be bound by prescriptions nor completely detached from them. The subtlety lies in comprehending the essence; this is what is meant by the Mysterious Dao residing here. Thus, he compiled a volume titled *Waike Qixuan* (Enlightenment of External Medicine). I, your humble younger brother, held this volume and completed my studies. It contains over 120 discussions, over 230 categories of toxic eruptions, and over 1,000 prescriptions. Divided into twelve volumes, combined into one compilation. He did not wish to keep the secrets hidden in his sleeve but intended to have them printed and published, making the knowledge available to all, hoping to lead the world into an era of longevity. Gong’s secret practice of goodness benefited those learning medicine. How deep and sincere is his benevolent heart! It is not merely that his techniques are noble and medicines extraordinary. I recall that our clan originated from Xuanyuan (Yellow Emperor), the ancestor of medicine. During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, Jinshi Qin Zhi ascended to immortality while alive and was bestowed the title "Miaoji Lingxiu Zhenren," becoming our ancestral figure in the genealogy. Other virtues of civil and military loyalty and filial piety need not be discussed here. Given that Gong knew the art of ascending to immortality, and that *Waike Qixuan*, along with the previously published *Shanghan Guanshe Xinfa* (Heart Method of Observing Tongue in Cold Damage), are now in circulation, is he truly a descendant of Xuanyuan? Or is it true that where ancestors’ sacred origins lie, descendants will inevitably arise who emulate them to continue the glorious legacy? This is indeed not false. Gong’s surname is Shen, given name Gongchen, courtesy name Zijie, and pseudonym Douyuan. He entrusted me, your humble younger brother, to write the postscript. As we share the same lineage, I dare not decline due to my literary inadequacy, and thus presumptuously wrote this preface.
In the thirty-second year of Wanli, in the year Jia Chen. On an auspicious day of the ninth month. Your humble younger brother, Shen Wuchang, respectfully composed.