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Ke Qin (circa 1662–1735), courtesy name Yunbo, pseudonym Sifeng, was a native of Cixi, Zhejiang during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He was erudite and well-informed during his lifetime, capable of writing poetry and excelling in ancient prose. Unwilling to serve as an official, he spent long periods secluded, reading extensively and delving deeply into medical studies. Despite his poverty, he traveled to the Wu region (the territory of the ancient Wu state during the Spring and Autumn period, now part of southern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui) and resided in Yushan. He was skilled in medicine but did not boast about it, often living in seclusion and leading a modest life. His works include the Cold-Damage Disease Lai Su Collection in 8 volumes, comprising Cold-Damage Disease Treatise Annotations, Cold-Damage Disease Treatise Wings, and Cold-Damage Disease Supplementary Wings.

In terms of academic thought, he believed that the Cold-Damage Disease Treatise, after being compiled by Wang Shuhe, lost the original appearance of Zhang Zhongjing's work, though some traces could still be found. Later, through the compilations of Lin Dang, Fang Youzhi, and Yu Jiayan, neither the original preface of Zhongjing nor the preface examples of Wang Shuhe were included, often resulting in far-fetched interpretations. Therefore, he authored the Cold-Damage Disease Treatise Annotations in 4 volumes, reorganizing Zhongjing's book. The first chapter is the "General Treatise on Cold-Damage Disease," consisting of 14 articles; the first article states, "Diseases with fever and chills arise from yang; those without heat but with aversion to cold arise from yin," serving as the general outline for the onset of diseases in the three yin and three yang. The other articles in the first chapter mostly discuss the theories of exterior-interior and yin-yang Bingchuan, allowing readers to grasp the general pulse and symptom patterns of cold-damage disease upon opening the book. Following this, the six meridian syndromes and the main treatment formulas are listed, with transformed formulas appended afterward. This structured approach highlights the formula-syndrome relationship, enabling practitioners to understand the syndrome by knowing the formula, making it suitable for clinical application. However, Ke Qin's deletions and modifications to the Cold-Damage Disease Treatise articles were sometimes inappropriate, drawing criticism from later generations.

Ke Qin has a profound understanding of the cold-damage disease theory, and his interpretations offer many new insights. For example, regarding the meaning of "six meridians" in the cold-damage disease theory, previous scholars have explained it as meridian and collateral, while others have interpreted it as the movement of qi. Ke Qin believes that the six meridians are like the boundaries of the earth, with meridians and collaterals serving as the pathways of the six meridians. In his work Cold-Damage Disease Theory: The True Meaning of the Six Meridians, he states that Zhang Zhongjing's six meridians refer to the boundaries of regions, not the meridians and collaterals; Zhang Zhongjing's six meridians divide the earth into six regions, encompassing a broad scope. Although the pulse is related to meridians and collaterals, the theory does not solely focus on them. He divides the regions governed by the six meridians as follows: the area above the waist belongs to the three yang regions, which govern the exterior but are rooted in the interior; the area below the waist belongs to the three yin regions, which govern the interior but are deficient in the exterior. The Taiyang (EX-HN5) region extends internally from the chest and heart, externally from the crown of the head, forward to the forehead, backward to the shoulders and back, and downward to the feet, connecting to the bladder; this meridian governs nutrient-defense and controls the body's exterior symptoms. Yangming region extends internally from the chest and heart to the stomach and intestines, externally from the head, through the face to the abdomen, and downward to the feet. Shaoyang region extends from the heart to the throat, exiting through the cheeks, upward to the ears and eyes, diagonally to the crown, externally from the ribs, and internally connected to the gallbladder. Taiyin region extends from the abdomen through the spleen to the two intestines and the anus. Shaoyin region extends from the abdomen to the two kidneys and the urinary bladder. Jueyin region extends from the abdomen through the liver, upward to the diaphragm and heart, and from the hypochondriac region downward to the lower abdomen and all tendons; this meridian governs the triple energizer and controls the body's interior symptoms. He believes that if physicians can understand the terrain of the six meridians, they can grasp the key to diseases; if they know the pathways of the six meridians in detail, they can master the rules of treatment. Ke Qin's views stand as a unique school of thought, attracting the attention of later scholars.

In the preface of cold-damage disease theory, Ke Qin proposed the viewpoint that "cold-damage disease and Zabing share the same treatment principles, all governed by the six meridians." He believed that the cold-damage disease theory based on the six meridians provides a framework for all diseases, including externally contracted cold-damage disease and internal injury Zabing. Zhang Zhongjing divided the entire body into six regions according to the six meridians, thus encompassing all diseases within the scope of the six meridians. Whether it is wind-cold, warmth-heat, internal injury, or external contraction, from the exterior to the interior, with cold or heat, deficiency or excess, everything is included. Zhang Zhongjing linked cold-damage disease and Zabing together, discussing them collectively under the name cold-damage disease Zabing theory, where cold-damage disease is just one type of the six meridian diseases. Additionally, he believed that Zabing is most common in cold-damage disease, often involving a mix of internal and external factors, and alternating deficiency and excess. In summary, neither cold-damage disease nor Zabing can escape the scope of the six meridians, and treating cold-damage disease must also explore the principles of Zabing. Zhang Zhongjing's cold-damage disease theory also elaborated on the diagnosis and treatment of Zabing. Ke Qin was able to use the six meridians as a guiding principle to comprehensively understand the pattern identification and treatment of cold-damage disease and Zabing, linking the two in his exploration, which was his original contribution. This has significant reference value for later generations.

Regarding the method of formulating prescriptions in Zhang Zhongjing's cold-damage disease theory, Ke Qin's research also grasped the essentials and understood the essence. He believed that Zhang Zhongjing used prescriptions "according to the syndrome," employing "flexible prescriptions and methods," rather than being rigidly bound by names, using "fixed prescriptions and methods." He also believed that Zhang Zhongjing's prescriptions were precise and not cluttered, with six main prescriptions forming the basis, and other prescriptions derived from them through modifications. All sweating agents are based on Cinnamon Twig, emetics on Gardenia and Fermented Soybean, purgatives on Chengqi, harmonizing agents on Bupleurum, cold agents on Xiexin, and warming agents on reversal cold of limbs, totaling one hundred and thirteen prescriptions. This classification, with clear principles, captures the essentials. Additionally, he pointed out that each of the six meridians has its own main prescriptions, and other meridians and collaterals also have mutually applicable prescriptions. For example, the Ephedra and Cinnamon Twig decoctions are designed for Taiyang nutrient-defense, but can also be used for Yangming disease in nutrient-defense; the True Warrior Decoction is designed for Shaoyin water qi, but can also be used for Taiyang cases of yang depletion after sweating, and so on. In summary, Zhang Zhongjing's prescriptions only differ in exterior-interior, cold-heat, and deficiency-excess, without distinction between cold-damage disease, apoplexy, and miscellaneous syndromes.

Ke Qin's writings on the cold-damage disease theory are profound in theory and clear in explanation. Later generations considered him "greatly contributing to Zhang Zhongjing," having a significant impact on future generations. The Ancient and Modern Mingyi Fanglun compiled by Luo Dongyi of Xin'an includes many of Ke Qin's discussions. This shows how profound his research on the cold-damage disease theory was, which was the result of his diligent work. He made an indelible contribution to the development of medical science, so it is fitting to call him a renowned physician of his time, deserving a place in history.