甲申春舍亲钟玄珠素患哮喘面目青白。体羸恶寒。冬剧夏愈。遇劳益甚。初服温剂。尚
得痊
可。辍药年余因郁复发。哮喘不休。唾血淡黄有沫余察其六脉浮滑缓弱。谓属阳虚。应须六
君
主治。彼惑于众论。指为阴虚唾血。恪服清火滑润之剂。前症不减。幸喜鳏居元气尚实。第
卧箸每厌肥甘。胃气不无暗损。
甲申孟秋晦夜社友郑去华季郎英年弱质。芸窗劳苦。复恋帏幕。患前症。经治数月增剧。延
余诊视。察其面色娇红。喉喘有声。六脉滑数无力。及询前方。乃用犀角地黄汤。倍黄连。
余曰此为根摇叶枯。心肾两亏之症。若初治得用纯甘至静。壮水固脾之剂。尚犹可救而乃以
疗胃经实热吐血之药混治虚劳吐血宁不败胃伤生余议每剂用人参一两为君。佐以养血滋肾药
数品。倘得服十余剂。脉症渐减。庶几可治。彼意以余言为妄。次日别延。仍治以苦寒止塞
之剂。血顿止。至八月二十五日而殁。嗣后去华抵云间。访内侄太守陈谦夫。因晤名手李士材
。谈及乃郎前症。谓广延救治。独有敝社萧友。令余每剂投参一两。余疑不用。李曰此症乃
阴阳两亏。心肾将败。每剂须参二三两。方能纳气归原。引血归经。萧固知用参。而仅投一
两。必迟奏效。去华归。因以告余。又以李刻医宗必读一书示余。不谓六合寥廓之内。亦有
臭味同气之士。是先得我心者也。李号士材讳中梓其先人官吏科君亦明经薄仕。而隐于医
。博洽洞晓。具有绝识。阅其所刻仅五册。词简而明。法精以详。允为当世正法眼。余婆心
热肠。每欲远访参印疑义。而苦为兵戈梗道。有志未遂。俟之他日耳。其前书当附骥于立斋
先生。而凌驾于刘朱之上。余期鸠工重梓。以广其传。先为摘出。以告同患者。
甲申年春天，我的亲戚钟玄珠长期患有哮喘，面色青白，身体消瘦且怕冷。病情冬季加重，夏季缓解，劳累后症状加剧。起初服用温补药物时，尚能治愈。停药一年多后，因情绪郁结导致复发，哮喘不止，咳出淡黄色带泡沫的血痰。我诊察其六脉浮滑、缓弱，判断属于阳虚证，应当用六君子汤主治。但他被众人的言论所迷惑，认为是阴虚咳血，坚持服用清热降火、润肠通便的药物，之前的症状并未减轻。幸好他丧偶独居，元气还算充实，只是每次吃饭都厌恶油腻甘甜的食物，胃气因此暗中受损。
甲申年八月初一夜晚，社友郑去华（字季郎）正值年轻体弱，在书房辛勤劳作，又沉溺于房事，患上了同样的病症。经过数月治疗，病情反而加重。请我去诊治，见他面色娇红，喉间有喘鸣声，六脉滑数但无力。询问之前用的方子，是用犀角地黄汤，并加倍使用黄连。我说这是根基动摇、枝叶枯槁，心肾两亏的病症。如果在初治时能用纯甘至静、壮水固脾的药物，还可以救治。然而却用治疗胃经实热吐血的方法来混治虚劳吐血，怎能不损伤胃气、伤害生命？我建议每剂药用人参一两作为主药，辅以几味养血滋肾的药物。如果服用十多剂后，脉象和症状逐渐减轻，或许还有希望治愈。但他认为我的话是荒谬的，第二天另请医生，仍然使用苦寒收敛止血的药物。当时血确实止住了，但到了八月二十五日就去世了。
后来郑去华到云间拜访他的内侄、太守陈谦夫，遇到了名医李士材。谈到令尊之前的病症，李士材说广泛寻求救治，只有我们社里的萧友（指作者自己），建议每剂药投人参一两。李士材认为不用这么多是错误的。李士材说：这个病症是阴阳两亏，心肾即将败绝，每剂药必须用人参二三两，才能纳气归原，引血归经。萧君虽然知道要用参，但只投一两，必然见效缓慢。郑去华回来后，把这话告诉了我，又拿出李士材刻印的《医宗必读》一书给我看。没想到在广阔的天地之间，也有志趣相投的同道中人，真是先我意而发的人啊。李士材名中梓，号士材，他的祖先李科君也是明经出身，轻视仕途，隐居行医。他博学通达，具有卓越的见识。我看他所刻印的书仅五册，文字简洁明了，方法精详，确实是当世的正统法眼。我怀着热心肠，本想远行拜访，参考印证书中的疑义，但苦于战乱阻断道路，志向未能实现，只好等待来日了。那本前书应当附在薛立斋先生之后，而凌驾于刘朱之上。我期望召集工匠重新刊印，以扩大其流传，先摘录出来，告知同病相怜的患者们。
In the spring of the Jiashen year, my relative Zhong Xuanzhu had long suffered from asthma (Xiao Chuan), with a bluish-white complexion, emaciation, and aversion to cold. The condition worsened in winter and improved in summer, exacerbating upon exertion. Initially, taking warm-tonic formulas yielded recovery. However, after discontinuing medication for over a year, the relapse was triggered by emotional stagnation, resulting in incessant asthma and expectoration of pale yellow, frothy blood-tinged sputum. Upon examining his six pulses, which were floating, slippery, slow, and weak, I diagnosed it as Yang deficiency (Yang Xu) and prescribed Liu Jun Zi Tang (Six Gentlemen Decoction). Confused by others' opinions, he insisted on a diagnosis of Yin deficiency coughing blood (Yin Xu Tuo Xue) and strictly took heat-clearing and moistening agents. His previous symptoms did not diminish. Fortunately, being widowed, his primordial Qi (Yuan Qi) remained relatively solid, though he disliked rich and sweet foods at meals, causing hidden damage to Stomach Qi (Wei Qi).
On the night of the first day of the eighth month in the Jiashen year, my colleague Zheng Quhua (courtesy name Jilang), young but frail, worked hard in his study and indulged in sexual activity, suffering from the same prior ailment. After months of treatment, the condition aggravated. I examined him and observed a delicate red complexion, audible wheezing in the throat, and six pulses that were slippery, rapid, yet powerless. Inquiring about previous prescriptions, I found they used Xi Jiao Di Huang Tang (Rhinoceros Horn and Rehmannia Decoction) with doubled Huang Lian (Coptis Rhizome). I stated this indicated a shaking root and withered leaves, representing a dual deficiency of Heart and Kidney (Xin Shen Liang Kui). If initially treated with purely sweet and tranquilizing herbs to nourish Water and strengthen Spleen, it might have been salvageable. Instead, using herbs for excess-heat hematemesis due to Stomach meridian real heat to treat deficiency-consumption hematemesis inevitably damages the Stomach and life. I proposed using Ren Shen (Ginseng Root) at one tael per dose as the sovereign herb, assisted by several blood-nourishing and Kidney-moistening herbs. If taken for more than ten doses with gradual reduction in pulse and symptoms, there would be hope. He considered my words absurd and hired another physician the next day, who continued using bitter-cold astringent agents. The bleeding stopped abruptly, but he died on August 25th.
Later, Zheng Quhua visited Yunjian to see his nephew-in-law, Prefect Chen Qianfu, where he met the famous physician Li Shicai. Discussing the late father's prior condition, Li Shicai remarked that among all sought treatments, only our colleague Xiao (the author) suggested one tael of Ren Shen per dose. Li Shicai deemed this insufficient. He explained: This case involves dual deficiency of Yin and Yang, with impending failure of Heart and Kidney. Each dose requires two to three taels of Ren Shen to guide Qi back to its source and draw blood back into the vessels. Although Xiao knew to use Ginseng, using only one tael would delay efficacy. Upon returning, Zheng Quhua informed me of this and showed me Li Shicai’s printed work, *Yi Zong Bi Du* (Essential Readings for Medical Masters). I realized that within this vast world, there are like-minded scholars who understand my thoughts before I express them. Li Shicai, whose given name is Zhongzi, came from a family of officials; his ancestor, Li Kejun, was a Ming Jing graduate who despised officialdom and practiced medicine in seclusion. He was erudite and insightful. Having read his five-volume work, I found the language concise and clear, methods precise and detailed, truly representing the orthodox eye of the times. With a compassionate heart, I wished to travel far to visit him and discuss doubts, but war blocked the roads, leaving my ambition unfulfilled until another day. That earlier book should follow Mr. Xue Lizai and surpass Liu and Zhu. I intend to gather craftsmen to reprint it widely, extracting excerpts here to inform fellow sufferers.