夫疮论纷纷。当识浅深。辨之得法。规矩准绳。如匠之工巧。岂能弃之尔。盖疮疽之举有三。高
而软者发于血脉。肿下而坚者发于筋骨。皮肉色不相辨者发于骨髓。又法候之以手按摇肿根牢而坚大
者深也。根小而浮者浅也。七恶少见者疽之深也。五善迭见者痈之浅也。大抵浮而浅者易治。深而坚
者难治。求瘥之法。岂能逃于是也。
夫疮肿已成。须辨其有无脓者。即知疮之生熟。形之缓急。脓之浅深多少。当视其可针未可针否。
不致于危殆矣。岂可一例针之。如肿大按之痛者。脓深也。小按之即痛者。脓浅也。如按之不甚痛者。
未成脓也。如按之即复起者。有脓也。不复起者。无脓也。非也。必有水也。如发肿都软而不痛者。
血瘤也。如发肿日日渐增肿大而不大热。时时牵痛者。气瘤也。近时有杨梅结毒。疼痛肿大。久而不
腐。腐而不敛者。又有湿痰流注而经久不消。后虽腐而其臭水淋漓。久而气血衰败。亦有伤生乎。大
凡疮肿皮光薄软者。有脓也。肉浓而坚者。不甚热。脓未成也。宜托里排脓之剂治之。
夫痈疽之生。原无定位。生死之辨。不可不知。生于不系经络所会关节之处。脏腑俞募之所针治
之法。在于疮医甚详。验于脉。审于症。察于部位。观之虚
实。按法治之虽在九死部位。亦有生矣。如患者隐而不言。设不早治。再遇庸俗。治不对症。特犯禁
忌。调护失宜。虽发于不死之部位。犹恐难生矣。一伏菟二腓 三背四五脏俞六脑七髭八鬓九颐。此
九处系紧关节要。出于此事难知。宜当熟玩知之矣。
关于疮疡的论述纷繁复杂，必须识别其病位的浅深。辨别方法得当，就像工匠使用规矩准绳一样精准，怎能将其抛弃呢？大概疮疽的形态表现有三种：高起而柔软的，病发于血脉；肿胀下陷且坚硬的，病发于筋骨；皮肉颜色界限不清晰的，病发于骨髓。又有通过手按触摇动肿根来候诊的方法：肿根牢固、坚硬且大的，病位深；肿根小且浮起的，病位浅。七恶（危重症状）少见的，是疽（阴证疮疡），病位深；五善（良好征象）反复出现的，是痈（阳证疮疡），病位浅。大致来说，浮浅的病位容易治疗，深沉坚硬的病位难治。寻求痊愈的方法，难道能超出这个原则吗？
当疮肿已经形成，必须辨别其中是否有脓，从而知道疮疡的生熟程度、形体的缓急、脓液的浅深和多少。应当观察是否可以进行针刺，以免导致危险。怎么能一概而论地针刺呢？如果肿大且按压疼痛的，说明脓液位置深；轻微按压即痛的，说明脓液位置浅。如果按压时疼痛不明显的，说明脓尚未形成。如果按压后凹陷立即弹起的，说明有脓；按压后不复起的，说明无脓（这种说法是不对的，必定是有水湿）。如果全身浮肿柔软且不痛的，是血瘤（血管性肿瘤）。如果肿块日渐增大但热度不高，时常牵引作痛的，是气瘤（气滞性肿瘤）。近来有杨梅结毒（梅毒硬下疳或树胶肿），疼痛肿大，久不溃烂，溃烂后也不收敛的。还有湿痰流注（痰湿流窜经络形成的脓肿）经久不消，后来虽然溃烂，但流出臭水淋漓不尽，久而久之气血衰败，也有可能导致死亡的。大凡疮肿皮肤光亮、薄软者，说明有脓；肌肉厚实且坚硬者，热度不高，说明脓未形成。适宜用托里排脓的方剂治疗。
痈疽的发生，原本没有固定的部位，生死的辨别，不可不知道。生于不在经络交会关节之处、脏腑俞募穴所在部位的，针灸治疗方法，在疮疡医家中记载得很详细。通过脉象验证，审察症状，观察部位，查看虚实，按照法则治疗，即使在九死（极危险）的部位，也有存活的可能。如果患者隐瞒病情不说，如果不早期治疗，再遇到庸俗的医生，治疗不对症，特别触犯禁忌，调护失宜，即使发生在不死（非危险）的部位，也恐怕难以存活了。一伏兔（大腿前侧隆起处），二腓（小腿肚），三背，四五脏俞（背部膀胱经第一侧线穴位），五脑，六髭（胡须），七鬓，八颐（面颊下方），九这些部位系紧关节要害，出于此处的疮疡难以知晓预后，应当仔细研读了解。
Discussions on sores and ulcers are numerous; one must understand their depth. If the differentiation method is correct, it is as precise as a craftsman using compasses and squares, how could one discard it? Generally, there are three manifestations of sores and carbuncles: those that are elevated and soft originate in the blood vessels (xue mai); those that are swollen, depressed, and hard originate in the tendons and bones (jin gu); those where the skin and flesh colors are indistinguishable originate in the bone marrow (gu sui). Another method involves palpating the base of the swelling: if the base is firm, hard, and large, the disease is deep; if the base is small and superficial, the disease is shallow. The rare appearance of the "Seven Evils" (qi e, ominous signs indicating severe condition) suggests a deep-seated yu (carbuncle with yin characteristics); the frequent appearance of the "Five Goods" (wu shan, favorable signs) suggests a shallow yi (abscess with yang characteristics). Generally, superficial conditions are easy to treat, while deep and hard conditions are difficult to cure. The methods for seeking recovery cannot escape this principle.
When a sore or swelling has formed, one must differentiate whether pus is present to know the maturity of the sore, the urgency of its form, and the depth and quantity of the pus. One should observe whether puncture is appropriate to avoid danger. How can one apply puncture uniformly? If the area is swollen and painful upon pressure, the pus is deep; if slight pressure causes pain, the pus is shallow. If pressure does not cause significant pain, the pus has not yet formed. If the area rebounds immediately after pressure, there is pus; if it does not rebound, there is no pus (this view is incorrect; there must be fluid accumulation). If the entire body swells, becoming soft without pain, it is a blood tumor (xue liu). If the swelling increases daily but is not very hot, with occasional pulling pain, it is a qi tumor (qi liu). Recently, there have been cases of chancre poison (yang mei jie du, referring to syphilitic lesions), characterized by painful swelling, long-standing non-ulceration, or ulceration that fails to heal. There are also cases of wandering damp-phlegm (shi tan liu zhu) that do not resolve over time; although they eventually ulcerate, they discharge foul-smelling fluid continuously, leading to depletion of qi and blood and potentially death. Generally, sores with shiny, thin, and soft skin indicate the presence of pus; those with thick, hard flesh and low heat indicate that pus has not yet formed. These should be treated with formulas that support the interior and expel pus (tuo li pai nong).
The occurrence of yi and ju (sores and carbuncles) has no fixed location; distinguishing between life and death is essential. For lesions occurring in areas not associated with meridian intersections or joints, nor at the Shu-Mu points of the zang-fu organs, acupuncture and moxibustion treatments are detailed in specialized surgical texts. By verifying through pulse diagnosis, examining symptoms, observing the location, and assessing deficiency and excess, treatment according to principles can lead to survival even in the "Nine Deaths" (jiu si, highly dangerous locations). However, if patients conceal their condition, fail to seek early treatment, encounter incompetent physicians who misdiagnose, violate taboos, and neglect care, survival may be difficult even if the lesion occurs in a non-lethal location. The nine critical locations are: 1. Futu (the bulge on the anterior thigh), 2. Fei (the calf muscle), 3. Back (bei), 4. Five Zang Shu points (wu zang shu, back-Shu points of the five zang organs), 5. Brain (nao), 6. Mustache area (zi), 7. Temples (bin), 8. Chin/Jaw (yi). These nine places are critical joint areas; lesions arising here are difficult to prognosticate and require careful study and understanding.