| title | Xu Shu-wei's Medical Case Records |
(1) In the past, there was a villager named Qiu Sheng who suffered from cold-damage disease. I was called to examine him. He had a fever, headache, thirst, and a floating, rapid but weak pulse, with the chi pulse below being slow and weak. I said, although it resembles an Ephedra syndrome, the slow and weak chi pulse indicates, as Zhongjing said, "A slow chi pulse indicates insufficient Yingqi and scant blood and qi; one should not induce sweating." Therefore, I added Chinese Angelica and Astragalus Root to Jianzhong Decoction and had him drink it.
The next day, his pulse remained the same. His family was anxious and urged me day and night to prescribe a sweating medicine, even speaking disrespectfully. I endured it and only used Jianzhong Decoction to regulate the nutrient qi. By the fifth day, the chi pulse finally responded, so I administered Ephedra Decoction. After drinking the second dose, he became delirious, but soon calmed down, slept lightly, and began to sweat. This confirmed how difficult and challenging this matter is. Although Zhongjing said that treatment should not be delayed day or night and should be administered promptly, a physician must also consider the exterior and interior deficiencies and wait for the right time. If one does not follow the proper sequence, temporary relief may be achieved, but it will harm the five zang -organs and shorten one's lifespan. What value is there in that?
(2) The *History of the Southern Dynasties* records that Fan Yun initially served as an official under Emperor Wu of Liang . When Emperor Wu was about to bestow the Nine Distinctions (1), it seemed imminent. Fan Yun suddenly contracted cold-damage disease and feared he would miss the celebratory event. He summoned Xu Wenbo for diagnosis and earnestly asked if he could recover quickly. Wenbo said, "It is easy to cure now, but I fear you will not rise again after two years." Fan Yun replied, "If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening without regret, let alone two years!" Wenbo then burned the ground, spread peach leaves, and had Fan Yun lie on them. Soon, he began to sweat, and Wenbo applied sprinkling powder. The next day, he indeed recovered. Fan Yun was overjoyed, but Wenbo said, "This is no cause for joy." Two years later, Fan Yun indeed passed away. Forcing sweating prematurely can shorten one's lifespan, let alone disregarding the exterior and interior or rushing for quick results without waiting for the right time. I often see patients who cannot endure and urge sweating within three or four days, and physicians who comply with their wishes rarely avoid failure. Therefore, I write this as a warning to physicians.
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