Ancient and Modern Medical Mirror

Author: Chief Editor: Rui Lixin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-05-01
Features: Synopsis This book is compiled by Gong Xin of the Ming Dynasty, originally consisting of eight volumes, later revised and supplemented by Wang Kengtang to become sixteen volumes. It gathers discussions from ancient texts ranging from the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon to the theories of scholars from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, drawing on diverse expertise and categorizing them systematically. The book begins with four general discussions on pulse diagnosis, pathogenesis, drug properties, and the Five Elements theory, followed by detailed discussions on various medical disciplines, listing numerous syndromes in each category, covering over 100 diseases from internal, external, gynecological, pediatric, and miscellaneous fields. Some content is summarized in verse or rhymes for easier memorization. This is a highly practical comprehensive medical work with significant clinical reference value, suitable for clinical practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine and students. Excerpt:
Stagnation indicates blood deficiency and essence injury, with a slow, obstructive flow like the scraping of bamboo with a knife. Smoothness suggests excessive phlegm and qi, with a rounded, flowing pulse like a moving pearl. Slowness indicates cold, while rapidity indicates heat, depending on the rate of the pulse. Floating indicates superficial conditions, while deep indicates internal issues, determined by the lightness or heaviness of palpation. indicates recovery, harmonious like the spring breeze swaying willows; indicates progression, powerful like the autumn tide rising. When all six pulses are equal, it is a sign of no medication needed; when one pulse is excessively strong, it is a cause for concern. Superficial conditions are treated with sweating, while internal conditions are treated with purgation. For superficial conditions, use cinnamon, astragalus, and peony; for internal conditions, use ginger, aconite, and poria. Diseases are either deficient or excess, with deficiency treated by tonification and excess by draining. Pathogens are either cold or hot, with cold treated by warming and heat by clearing. External pathogens include wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, and dryness, while internal pathogens arise from the interaction of deficiency, excess, and the body's true qi. True qi is the body's vital energy, like a loyal minister. Expelling pathogens is like chasing thieves, requiring swift and complete eradication. Nourishing true qi is like dealing with petty people, requiring self-improvement and rectifying one's mind. The richness or deficiency of the land reflects one's innate constitution. The Five Elements theory explains the flow of excess or deficiency. Once the pulse and disease are understood according to the method, there is no difficulty in the efficacy of medicine. Regarding stroke, it must be distinguished between true and false. True stroke presents with six-channel symptoms, with variations in affecting the zang, fu, or blood vessels. False stroke follows the theory of the Three Seeds, categorized as dampness, fire, or qi deficiency. Stroke affecting the zang is life-threatening, while affecting the fu leads to limb paralysis. In the meridians, it manifests as hemiplegia or facial paralysis; affecting the blood vessels causes hemiplegia. Stiffness and sudden collapse require tonifying decoctions; phlegm and qi obstruction may be treated with emesis. Seizures are called , while spasm is called . It may manifest as partial paralysis due to wind, or transform into wind-dampness or wind-epilepsy. Paralysis and atrophy are caused by weakness in the limbs, while wind-dampness and cold combine to form wind-dampness. Though unpredictable, they are all caused by an excess of wood and wind. Snow and frost indicate cold pathogens, while intense heat indicates summer heat. In cold damage, the pulse is deep and the body cold; in summer heat, the pulse is floating and heat is intense. Summer heat should be restrained and cleared, while cold can be dispersed with warmth. All spasms and rigidity, along with swelling, are caused by dampness and wind from mountains and lakes. All dryness and cracking are due to the dryness of the universe. Dampness harms the skin and muscles, while dryness dehydrates the intestines and stomach. In the northwest, high winds and dry soil often cause thirst, abscesses, and carbuncles. In the southeast, low-lying land and dampness lead to fever, swelling, and diarrhea. Pathogens may cause superficial or deep injuries, with the strong experiencing mild effects and the weak severe effects. The seven fires of heaven and man, and the five wills of the chief and ministerial organs, are known to those skilled in medicine, who can bend and guide them. A good physician understands the principles of inversion and categorization, ensuring no disease is untreatable. Deficiency fire and excess fire require different treatments. Damp-heat and pure fire require different medications. Understanding the mechanisms of the six qi ensures eternal acclaim. It is said that blood belongs to yin, and deficiency generates heat, as stated by He Bian. Qi belongs to yang, and excess is fire, as emphasized by Ge Hong. Excess qi causes shortness of breath, bloating, and obstruction, which are resolved by clearing fire. Blood deficiency causes vomiting, consumption, and restlessness, which are difficult to cure without clearing heat. Li Zhong Tang treats cold deficiency of the spleen and stomach, while Run Xia Wan resolves phlegm and phlegm in the chest. Sudden vomiting is caused by cold, while chronic cough with blood is due to fire. Ping Wei San treats dampness excess leading to continuous diarrhea. Yi Rong Tang treats palpitations and insomnia. Zhi Ke San and Da Sheng San help pregnant women deliver easily. Ma Ren Wan and Run Chang Wan treat constipation in the elderly and those with blood deficiency. For palpitations, use Niuhuang and Hu Bo; for worm accumulation, use He Shi and Lei Wan. To resolve constipation, use Qi Cai and Bo Ling for their slippery properties; to reduce goiter, use Kun Bu and Hai Zao for their salty properties. These are the secrets of the sages, passed down for future generations. It is said that summer heat in summer leads to malaria in autumn. Near-term malaria can be cured immediately, while distant-term malaria recurs every three days. For malaria, only clearing the muscles is needed, without cutting herbs in the yin. Ren Shen Yang Wei Tang treats cold excess and heat deficiency. Chai Hu Qing Pi Tang treats heat excess and cold deficiency with thirst. Profuse sweating indicates yang deficiency, while night sweats indicate yin weakness. Cough without sound and with phlegm indicates dampness invasion of the spleen; cough with sound and without phlegm indicates fire consumption of the lungs. has both cold and heat forms, as discussed in the Ji Fang with pungent-warm treatments. Accumulations have deficiency and excess, yet the common approach is excessive purgation. It should be known that when wood is stagnant, induce vomiting to resolve it; when metal is stagnant, drain it; when earth is stagnant, deprive it; when water is stagnant, cut it; when fire is stagnant, release it. Drainage and release are called sweating and urination, while cutting and depriving are called attacking and suppressing. Emptying the granary and removing the old are excellent methods for purging the middle. Opening the door of the spirit and purifying the lower palace are subtle methods for resolving the upper and lower. Such ups and downs of life and death are like turning a palm, but one mistake leads to irreparable regret, and further mistakes bring shame. Generally, sudden diseases are not hot, and chronic diseases are not cold. Sores on the buttocks and back are due to heat accumulation. Sudden abdominal pain is caused by sudden cold. Five and five are due to damp-heat, with the priority being diuretic treatment. Three and three are due to dry heat, with nourishing yin being the key. Vomiting and coughing are attributed to the stomach. Yin stagnation and hernia are related to the liver. Body fluids return to the heart as sweat, which is resolved with Huang Qi Yi Li. Intense internal heat causes rashes, which are resolved with Ren Shen Hua Ban. Restlessness is called , while unease is called . Sudden cold and rigor with fever is called . Sudden falls with drooling and intermittent consciousness is called . Abdominal fullness and acid reflux indicate retained fluid in the stomach. Chest fullness and belching are due to retained phlegm in the diaphragm. To reverse the power of spring, one must seek the elixir of life. It is believed that yin and yang syndromes require different treatments. Internal and external injuries must be distinguished. Internal and external injuries require examining oral, nasal, and respiratory conditions.