唐宋人论白虎病,证治不一,猝不易晓。以泉考之,其别有三。一为年神。《病源》卷
四十
八云∶太岁在卯,即白虎在寅。准此推之,知其神所在,小儿有居处触犯此神者,便能为病
,其状身微热,有时啼唤,有时身小冷,屈指如数,似风痫,但手足不螈 耳!又《外台》
卷十三,苏孝澄云白虎病,妇人因产犯白虎,丈夫因眠卧犯白虎,其病口噤,手拳,气不出
是也。一为粪神。《证类本草》云∶白虎鬼古人言如猫,在粪堆中,亦云是粪神。今时扫粪
,莫置门下,令人病此。陈藏器云治法,以鸡子揩病者痛处,咒愿送着粪堆头上,
勿反顾,不过三次瘥。白虎是粪神,爱吃鸡子也是也。今湖俗名此曰送客人。但古为白虎设
,今则沿用而忘所自耳!一为历节风。以其百节皆痛,昼差夜剧,如虎之啮,故名。亦见《
外台》。近世谓之白虎历节,治属风家。白虎病须别此三者,斯知古论有条不紊。
宋·朱端章《卫生家宝·产科备要方》卷七追命散方,治妇人血症,方中有羊胫炭,云
即炭
中圆细紧实如羊胫骨者,取三四寸,却作十余段,别以着灰同烧通红,淬入醇酒中,如此
七遍,烘干为末半两。案《纲目》炭火、羊胫骨下,皆不载此方。独《苏沈良方》小儿吞铁
方
,剥新炭皮为末,调粥服,炭屑裹铁而下云云,与《谈野翁方》误吞铜铁,以羊胫骨烧灰,
煮稀粥食,神效云云正合。而《纲目》卷五十二,采谈方乃入羊部,不云即炭。他书亦未有
言羊胫骨如朱说者,则讹以传讹久矣。
唐宋时期的人们论述白虎病,其证候和治疗方法各不相同,仓促之间难以理解。经过考证,发现主要有三种区别。第一种是“年神”。《诸病源候论》卷四十记载:“太岁在卯位时,白虎就在寅位。”据此推算,可以知道该神煞所在之处,如果小儿居住的地方触犯了这个神煞,就会引发疾病。症状表现为身体微热,有时啼哭呼叫,有时身体发凉,手指屈伸计数般活动,类似风痫证,只是手足没有抽搐罢了!另外,《外台秘要》卷十三中,苏孝澄说白虎病是妇人因分娩触犯白虎,或丈夫因睡觉卧处触犯白虎所致,症状为牙关紧闭、手握拳、气息不通畅等。第二种是“粪神”。《证类本草》记载:古人所说的白虎鬼像猫一样,存在于粪堆中,也被称为粪神。现在人们清扫粪便时,不要放在门口,否则会使人患上此病。陈藏器记载的治疗方法是用鸡蛋擦拭患病者的疼痛部位,念咒愿后送到粪堆顶端,不要回头,不超过三次就能痊愈。白虎是粪神,爱吃鸡蛋也是这个原因。如今湖南一带的风俗称此为“送客人”。但这原本是古代针对白虎设立的仪式,现在沿用下来却忘记了它的来源。第三种是“历节风”。因为全身关节都疼痛,白天减轻夜晚加重,痛感如同老虎啃咬,所以得名。这也见于《外台秘要》。近代称之为白虎历节,治疗归属于风病范畴。必须辨别白虎病的这三种情况,才能明白古人的论述条理清晰。
宋代朱端章所著《卫生家宝·产科备要方》卷七中的追命散方,用于治疗妇女血症,方中含有羊胫炭,声称即取炭火中圆形、细小、紧密且坚实的如羊胫骨形状的炭,截取三四寸长,再切成十余段,另外用灰同烧至通红,淬入纯酒中,如此反复七次,烘干后研成半两粉末。查考《本草纲目》在炭火和羊胫骨条目下,均未收录此方。唯独《苏沈良方》中小儿吞铁方中提到,剥下新炭皮研末,调粥服用,炭屑包裹铁块排出等说法;以及《谈野翁方》中误吞铜铁,用羊胫骨烧灰煮稀粥食用,效果神奇的说法,都与上述方法正相吻合。而《本草纲目》卷五十二收录谈氏方剂时将其归入羊部,并未说明就是炭。其他书籍也没有提到羊胫骨像朱端章所说的那样,则是以讹传讹很久了。
During the Tang and Song dynasties, discussions on *Baihu* disease (White Tiger Disease) varied in syndrome differentiation and treatment, making it difficult to understand at first glance. Upon examination by Quan, there are three distinct categories. The first is the "Year Deity" (Nianshen). *Zhubing Yuanhou Lun* (Treatise on the Pathogenesis and Symptoms of All Diseases), Volume 40, states: "When the Tai Sui is in Mao, the Bai Hu is in Yin." Based on this deduction, one can determine where the deity resides; if a child's residence offends this deity, illness will ensue. The symptoms include slight fever, occasional crying or calling, occasional coldness of the body, and finger movements resembling counting, similar to wind epilepsy (Feng Xian), but without convulsions of the hands and feet! Furthermore, in *Waitai Miyao* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies), Volume 13, Su Xiaocheng describes *Baihu* disease as occurring when women offend the Bai Hu during childbirth, or men offend it while sleeping. The symptoms include lockjaw, clenched fists, and inability to exhale air. The second category is the "Feces Deity" (Fenshen). *Zhenglei Bencao* (Compendium of Materia Medica Classified by Category) records that the ancient people spoke of the Bai Hu ghost as being cat-like, residing in manure piles, also referred to as the Feces Deity. Currently, when sweeping manure, do not place it at the doorway, as it causes people to suffer from this illness. Chen Cangqi recorded a treatment method: rub the painful area of the patient with an egg, recite incantations, and send it to the top of a manure pile without looking back; recovery occurs within no more than three times. This is because the Bai Hu is the Feces Deity and loves eating eggs. In modern Hunan customs, this is called "sending off guests." However, what was originally established by the ancients for the Bai Hu has been沿用 (continued to be used) over time, with its origin forgotten. The third category is "Li Jie Feng" (Joint-Traveling Wind Rheumatism). It is named so because all joints ache, improving during the day and worsening at night, with pain likened to a tiger biting. This is also seen in *Waitai Miyao*. In recent times, it is called Bai Hu Li Jie, and its treatment falls under the category of wind diseases. One must distinguish these three types of *Baihu* disease to understand that ancient discussions were systematic and well-organized.
In Volume 7 of *Weisheng Jiabao Chanke Beiyao Fang* (Prepared Formulas for Obstetrics in the Family Health Treasure) by Zhu Duanzhang of the Song Dynasty, the Zhuming San (Reviving Life Powder) formula treats blood syndromes in women. The formula contains Yangjing Tan (Sheep Tibia Charcoal), described as charcoal found in the fire that is round, small, tight, and solid like a sheep tibia bone. Take three or four cun in length, cut into more than ten segments, burn red-hot together with ash, quench in pure wine, repeat this seven times, dry, and grind into half liang of powder. According to *Bencao Gangmu* (Compendium of Materia Medica), neither the entry for Tan Huo (Charcoal Fire) nor Yangjing Gu (Sheep Tibia Bone) records this formula. Only *Su Shen Liangfang* (Good Prescriptions of Su and Shen) mentions in the formula for children swallowing iron: peel the skin of new charcoal, grind into powder, mix with porridge to take, noting that charcoal dust wraps around the iron for excretion. This aligns perfectly with *Tan Ye Weng Fang* (Prescriptions of Old Man Tan), which states that for accidentally swallowed copper or iron, burning sheep tibia bone to ash and cooking thin porridge to eat yields miraculous effects. However, *Bencao Gangmu* Volume 52 includes Tan's prescription in the Sheep section without stating it is charcoal. No other books mention sheep tibia bones as Zhu described, indicating that errors have been passed down for a long time.