先大父醒初公。素称博雅。廷试南归。由苏杭书肆。购有古今奇书。除经史百家外。如天文地理以及医卜
星数。无不精通其术。先君子晓亭公。幼承庭训。口授最真。而于医道更详。盖以医乃仁术。可以济人。诚如
范文正公所谓愿为良医也。嗣是先君子医人神效。素不受谢。远近踵门求方者益众。惟治疠一途。尤殚
精竭力。旁搜远索。又得各家秘本。斟酌损益。历数寒暑而始集其成。而更遵仲景六经之法治之。以故医
疠百不失一。欲公诸世。诚恐传非其人。或以此为射利之门。一再传后。有失其真者矣。钤阳刘全石先生
孝友成性。古道照人。与先君子气谊相投。为知心交。而于天文地理医卜星数。互相参稽。如是者有年。岁
辛酉。先君子病笃。遣价迎全石先生于分宜。至则纵论古今。其病若失。一夕谓先生曰。尔我治疠一法。所
活不下数百人。欲将所注疠疾辑要。及所记疠疾备要二卷。俟岁贡后。刊刻万本。即在江西乡场分送应
试者。又闻粤东多疠。亦印送万本。遍送乡试诸公。今墓木拱矣。无后望矣。若成此事。非君未有可托者。乃
检出辑要备要二书。再拜而授之。先生亦再拜而受之。二人握手泪下。馨等亦泣而志之不敢忘。不逾月
先君子捐馆舍矣。厥后全石先生罕至吉州。而馨等兄弟亦橐笔遨游羊城十有九年。饥躯根据人。未能刊
布其书。今仲夏先生命其主器东昌君冒暑来舍。道及同邑孝廉袁春台先生。欲集同人刊布此书。馨闻
喜甚愧甚。愧者愧馨兄弟徒读父书。不能成先志也。喜者喜善与人同。得有全石先生与孝廉袁君也。乃
检先君子手定原稿。交东昌君。其再拜授受亦如前。他日刊刻成书。分布天下。俾疠疾不降。民无夭札。是
即全石先生与孝廉袁君之功也。亦即吾祖父之志也。而馨等兄弟何有焉。是为序。
道光十年岁次庚寅季夏朔日庐陵一山氏萧桂馨谨识
我的祖父醒初公，向来以博学雅致著称。他在参加廷试从南方返回后，经由苏州、杭州的书肆，购买了古今许多奇书。除了经史百家之外，像天文地理以及医卜星数等学问，他无不精通其技艺。
我的父亲晓亭公，自幼接受庭训，口授的内容最为真切，而在医学之道上更为详尽。因为医学是仁爱之术，可以救济世人，确实正如范文正公所说的“愿为良医”那样。此后，我父亲治病神效，向来不接受酬谢，远近来登门求方的人更加众多。唯独在治疗麻风病这一方面，尤其耗尽精力，广泛搜集远索各家秘本，斟酌损益，历经数个寒暑才最终集录成书。并且遵循张仲景的六经法治之，因此治疗麻风病百无一失。他想将这本书公之于世，又担心传给不合适的人，或者将此作为牟利的途径，导致传到后代时失去真意。
钤阳的刘全石先生，天性孝顺友爱，古道热肠，与我父亲意气相投，成为知心朋友。他们在天文地理医卜星数等方面互相参考考证，这样过了多年。辛酉年，父亲病重，派人去分宜请全石先生前来。先生到来后，两人纵论古今，父亲的病痛似乎都消失了。一天晚上，父亲对先生说：“你我治疗麻风病的方法，所救活的人不下数百人。我想将我注释的《疠疾辑要》以及记录的《疠疾备要》两卷书，等到岁贡之后，刊刻一万本，就在江西乡试考场分送给应试者。又听说广东多麻风病，也印送一万本，遍送给参加乡试的各位士子。”如今祖坟上的树木已合抱粗，也没有后代指望了。若要完成此事，除了您没有可以托付的人了。于是拿出《辑要》《备要》两本书，再次拜见并授予先生。先生也再次拜见并接受。两人握手流泪，我也哭泣着记下此事，不敢忘记。不到一个月，父亲就去世了。
后来全石先生很少再到吉州，而我们兄弟也带着笔袋在羊城游历十九年，生活困顿依靠他人，未能刊布这本书。今年仲夏，父亲命其继承人东昌君冒着酷暑来到我家，谈到同邑的孝廉袁春台先生，想要集合同人刊布此书。我听到后既高兴又惭愧。惭愧的是惭愧我们兄弟只知死读父亲的书，不能完成先父的遗志；高兴的是高兴善事与人共享，能有全石先生和孝廉袁君参与。于是检出先父手定的原稿，交给东昌君，其再次拜见授予和接受也像从前一样。他日刊刻成书，分布天下，使麻风病不再降临，百姓没有早夭和灾祸，这就是全石先生与孝廉袁君的功劳，也就是我们祖父的志向。而我们兄弟又有什么呢？这就是序言。
道光十年岁次庚寅季夏朔日庐陵一山氏萧桂馨谨识
My grandfather, Mr. Xingchu, was renowned for his erudition and elegance. Upon returning from the metropolitan examination in the south, he purchased numerous rare books of ancient and modern times from bookstores in Suzhou and Hangzhou. Besides the classics, histories, and various schools of thought, he mastered all arts related to astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, astrology, and numerology.
My father, Mr. Xiaoting, received strict family instruction from childhood, with oral teachings being particularly authentic, especially regarding the medical arts. This was because medicine is a benevolent art capable of saving people, just as Fan Zhongyan stated, "I wish to be a good physician." Subsequently, my father achieved miraculous results in treating patients and never accepted payment. Consequently, more and more people from near and far came to his door seeking prescriptions. He devoted himself entirely to the treatment of leprosy (Leprosy), extensively searching for secret manuscripts from various sources, making adjustments and additions over several years until the compilation was complete. He treated it according to Zhang Zhongjing's Six Channels (Six Stages) theory, achieving a success rate of nearly 100%. He wished to publish this work publicly but feared it might fall into unworthy hands or be used for profit, leading to distortion in later generations.
Mr. Liu Quanshi from Qianyang possessed a nature of filial piety and fraternal duty, embodying ancient virtues. He shared similar interests with my father and became a close confidant. For many years, they cross-referenced each other in astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, astrology, and numerology. In the Xin You year, my father fell seriously ill and sent a messenger to invite Mr. Quanshi from Fenyi. Upon his arrival, their discussion of past and present events seemed to alleviate my father's illness. One night, my father said to Mr. Quanshi: "The methods we have used to treat leprosy have saved hundreds of lives. I intend to publish ten thousand copies of my annotated 'Summary of Leprosy' and the two volumes of 'Essentials of Leprosy' after the provincial examination. These will be distributed at the Jiangxi provincial examination venue to candidates. Furthermore, since leprosy is prevalent in Guangdong, another ten thousand copies should be printed and distributed to candidates attending the examination there." Now that the trees on our ancestral graves have grown thick, and there are no descendants to hope for, if this task is to be accomplished, you are the only one I can entrust. Thus, he presented the two books, 'Summary' and 'Essentials,' bowing twice to hand them over. Mr. Quanshi also bowed twice to accept them. The two men held hands and wept; I also wept and recorded this event, vowing never to forget. Less than a month later, my father passed away.
Later, Mr. Quanshi rarely visited Jizhou, while my brothers and I traveled to Guangzhou with our writing brushes for nineteen years, relying on others for sustenance due to poverty, and thus failed to publish the book. This midsummer, my father's heir, Mr. Dongchang, braved the heat to visit us. He mentioned Mr. Yuan Chuntai, a licentiate from the same county, who wished to gather associates to publish this book. Hearing this, I felt both joy and shame. I am ashamed that my brothers and I merely read our father's books without fulfilling his wishes; yet I am joyful that good deeds are shared, having Mr. Quanshi and Licentiate Yuan involved. Therefore, I retrieved the original manuscript finalized by my father and handed it to Mr. Dongchang, repeating the ritual of bowing and handing over as before. When the book is eventually published and distributed nationwide, preventing leprosy and ensuring people do not suffer premature death or disaster, this will be the merit of Mr. Quanshi and Licentiate Yuan, and also the fulfillment of our grandfather's ambition. What credit do my brothers and I deserve? This is the preface.
Recorded respectfully by Xiao Guixin of Lushan Shi, Luling, on the first day of the late summer of the Geng Yin year, the tenth year of Daoguang.