夫医自上古以来。岐黄分于内外。实相表里。未有不以仁而施于道者也。虽刮骨剖腹
之玄而未尝传之于世。余虽才智疏匪。发挥疮疡。乃先贤未发之秘。启前人不尽之玄。故
名云外科启玄。实泽民利物之要书。非其仁哉。非其心哉。是谓仁者乃仁慈之仁。心谓恻
隐之心。可显于今时。既及于后世。当播于京都而传于天下矣。近时疮患颇多。奈萌时不
治。待形症息而求疗。内经云。病已成而后药之。乱已成而后治之。譬由渴而穿井。斗而
铸兵。岂不晚乎。诸疮稍缓。惟恐疔疽之变。势非小可。若不早求治。施明医而就于庸俗。
焉知疮症虚实。时之逆顺。势之缓急。全不以生命为重。往往卒于夭阏者多矣。惜哉。乃
持惜之误也。余忝医末几数十年。游侠江湖。遍访方外奇方异论。无不载集。奥旨秘诀。
岂肯瞒隐。剪繁去冗。专求精里之精。煎炮 煮。恳寻验中之验。图其形症。明之经络。
察之色脉。辨之逆顺。详之凶吉。识之深浅。卷分十二。成之一部。聚资剞劂。广之永远。
以济天下之人。咸登寿域。非冀其积阴功。亦留是心。于疮疡聊助一小补也哉。
时万历甲辰春月弦日集隐玄堂书
夫痘疹痧麻。自古有之。虽夷狄未免。自钱氏立论甚详。诸贤篇论烦杂。亦未顿切。
后学虽聪。难以深便。愚思古贤有至仁至德。虽传法传方。况今时今世。人多禀受不同。
古方焉合今症耶。余虽不敏。虽立数论。虽不玄奥。而实珍于婴幼之心至矣。曰痘毒当分
三因而得之。虽陈无择亦未详焉。预知痘疹之诀。古人秘而不书。辨认四时逆顺。部位轻
重形症。色之吉凶顺险逆。更变虚平实治法。款款开列及百句。以便于后学之诵。细陈于
总括。实前人未备。启婴幼之危厄。虽生命之有数。而补医之一拙。岂敢隐秘。伏以显于
好生之德甚矣哉。
医学自上古以来，岐伯与黄帝将医术分为内科和外科两部分。二者实际上互为表里，没有不以仁爱之心来施行医道的。虽然像刮骨剖腹这样高深玄妙的技术未曾流传于世，但我虽然才智疏浅、资质平庸，在发挥疮疡治疗的理论方面，乃是阐发先贤未曾揭示的秘密，开启前人未讲尽的奥妙，所以命名为《外科启玄》。这实在是一部造福百姓、利益万物的要书，难道不是仁爱的体现吗？难道不是慈悲之心的彰显吗？这种仁爱被称为仁慈之仁，这种心被称为恻隐之心，可以在当今时代显现，并惠及后世，应当传播于京城，流传于天下。
近来疮疡病患很多，无奈人们在病初起时不进行治疗，等到症状明显、病情加重时才寻求治疗。《黄帝内经》说：“疾病已经形成后才用药治疗，祸乱已经造成后才去治理，这就好比口渴了才去挖井，打仗了才去铸造兵器，难道不晚了吗？”各种疮疡病如果稍微拖延，就恐怕发生疔疽等恶变，其势头并非小事。如果不尽早求治，让明医诊治却反而交给庸俗之辈，哪里知道疮症是虚证还是实证，时机是逆证还是顺证，势态是缓慢还是紧急？完全不把生命当作重要之事，往往导致许多人过早夭折，真是可惜啊！这是持有惜才（或惜药/惜力）之误造成的。
我惭愧地行医不过几十年，游历江湖，遍访世外的高奇方剂和独特理论，无不收集记载。那些深奥的宗旨和秘诀，岂肯隐瞒？剪除繁杂，去掉冗余，专门追求精中之精；煎煮炮制，恳切寻找效验中的最效者。绘制病症形态，明确所属经络，通过望色和切脉来观察，辨别逆顺，详述凶吉，识别深浅。全书分为十二卷，合成一部，聚集资金刻印，广泛流传以永久保存，用来救济天下之人，使大家都达到长寿的境界。并非希望积累阴德，也是留下这颗仁心，对疮疡治疗略作一点补充罢了。
写于万历甲辰年春月弦日，集隐玄堂记。
痘疹、痧麻等疾病，自古就有，即使是边远少数民族地区也难免。自从钱乙创立相关理论后论述非常详尽，但其他贤人的篇章论述繁杂，也不能立刻切合实际。后学者虽然聪明，也难以深入便捷地掌握。我思考古代贤人具有至仁至德的品格，既然传授医法医方，况且当今时代，人们的禀赋体质各不相同，古方的适应情况怎能完全符合今时的病症呢？我虽然不聪敏，但也立下了几篇论述，虽然并不玄奥，但对于婴幼患儿的心意确实是非常珍视的。我说：痘毒应当分为三种原因而获得，即使是陈无择也没有详细论述过。预先知晓痘疹的关键诀要，古人秘而不宣。辨认四季的逆顺、部位的轻重、形症的表现、颜色的吉凶顺险逆反，以及变化后的虚平实治疗方法，一一开列多达百句，以便于后学诵读。详细陈述于总括之中，确实是前人未完备之处，旨在开启婴幼患者的危厄局面。虽然生命有定数，但这作为医生的一点拙见，岂敢隐瞒？恭敬地认为，彰显好生之德实在太重要了。
Medicine, since ancient times, has been divided by Qibo and the Yellow Emperor into internal and external disciplines. These two are actually exterior and interior counterparts to each other, and none have practiced the medical way without benevolence (Ren, 仁). Although profound techniques such as scraping bone and opening the abdomen were not transmitted to the world, although my talent is sparse and my nature mediocre, in expounding upon sores and ulcers (Chuangyang, 疮疡), I am bringing forth secrets unexplored by former sages and revealing mysteries incomplete in previous works. Therefore, it is named *Waike Qixuan* (Surgical Enlightenment of the Mysterious). It is truly an essential book for benefiting the people and aiding all things; is this not benevolence? Is this not a compassionate heart? This "benevolence" refers to the benevolence of kindness, and this "heart" refers to the heart of compassion. It can be manifested in the present times, extending to future generations, and should be broadcast in the capital and transmitted throughout the world.
Recently, there have been many cases of sores and ulcers. Regrettably, when the disease begins, treatment is not sought; one waits until symptoms are obvious and the condition has settled before seeking medical help. The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: "If medicine is administered only after the disease has formed, and governance applied only after chaos has occurred, it is like digging a well only when thirsty, or forging weapons only when battle has begun." Is this not too late? Various sores, if slightly delayed, may fear transformation into Dingju (Ding carbuncles and Ju abscesses), a situation that is no small matter. If treatment is not sought early, and bright physicians are bypassed in favor of vulgar practitioners, how can one know whether the sore condition is deficiency (Xu, 虚) or excess (Shi, 实), whether the timing is adverse (Ni, 逆) or favorable (Shun, 顺), and whether the momentum is slow or urgent? Life is often disregarded, leading to many premature deaths. What a pity! This is due to the error of hesitation.
I, ashamedly, have practiced medicine for merely decades, roaming the rivers and lakes, visiting extraordinary prescriptions and unique theories from outside the mundane world, collecting them all. Profound principles and secret recipes, how could I keep them hidden? I have cut out the superfluous and removed the redundant, focusing exclusively on the essence of essences; in decoction and processing, I earnestly seek the most verified efficacy. I have illustrated the forms and symptoms, clarified the meridians (Jingluo, 经络), observed through inspection of color and palpation of pulse (Se Mai, 色脉), distinguished between adverse and favorable courses, detailed auspicious and ominous outcomes, recognized depth and superficiality. The work is divided into twelve volumes, forming one part. Funds were gathered for printing (Jijue, 剞劂), to spread it widely and permanently, to aid the people of the world, enabling everyone to reach the realm of longevity. It is not to hope for accumulating hidden merit, but to leave behind this heart, offering a small supplement to the treatment of sores and ulcers.
Written on the morning moon day of spring in the Jia-Chen year of the Wanli era, at the Jiyin Xuan Hall.
Smallpox (Douzhen, 痘疹), sand-rash (Sha, 痧), and measles (Ma, 麻) have existed since ancient times. Even among barbarian tribes, they are unavoidable. Since Qian Yi established his theories, the discussions have been very detailed, yet the essays of various sages are complicated and do not immediately hit the mark. Although later learners are intelligent, it is difficult for them to grasp these deeply and conveniently. I ponder that ancient sages possessed supreme benevolence and virtue. Since they transmitted methods and prescriptions, considering that in the current times and world, people have different constitutions, how can ancient prescriptions perfectly fit modern symptoms? Although I am not smart, I have established several treatises. Although they are not profound or mysterious, they are truly precious for the hearts of infants and young children. I say: Smallpox toxin should be acquired through three causes, a point even Chen Wuze did not detail. The key to foreseeing smallpox was kept secret by ancients and not written down. To distinguish the adverse and favorable courses of the four seasons, the severity of locations, the forms and symptoms, the auspiciousness, danger, and reversal indicated by colors, and the treatment methods for changes involving deficiency, calmness, and excess, I have listed them item by item, amounting to a hundred sentences, for the convenience of later learners to recite. Detailed in the summary, this is indeed what predecessors left incomplete, aiming to relieve the peril of infants. Although life has its destiny, this clumsy effort by a doctor, how dare I hide it? I respectfully believe that manifesting the virtue of cherishing life is extremely important.