Matchstick Doctor's Diary - Human Medicine Treasury Trilogy (Practice Part)

Author: Zhou Erjin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
1. If the poor child who read medical books on the upper floor says that there is anything different between me and others, it is that since I learned to read, I have been hiding on the upper floor, reading the medical books left by my grandfather. My grandfather, Zhou Zhengsheng, was a scholar in the Qing Dynasty and also a famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in the local area. He had high medical ethics, superb medical skills, and a rigorous demeanor. Although I was fortunate enough to hear his teachings, I admired his character. At the age of nine, with a runny nose and pants not properly fastened, I inevitably exposed my buttocks and often made a fool of myself. My friends gave me the nickname "Pigsy," not only because I was ugly but also because I was gluttonous. But this "Pigsy" would sit on the upper floor after school to read medical books. In fact, those medical books were indeed a "gold mine" in my family. Although my grandfather did not pass down any medical books, the blank spaces in all the books he studied were filled with his personal insights and reflections—crystallizations of his hard work and an invaluable treasure. My father did not cherish them well. Instead, I, this nine-year-old child, like a toad dreaming of eating a swan, came here to dig for treasure. In reality, treasures are everywhere in life, and the human body itself is an invaluable treasure. Gold dolls do not fall from the sky, but they are scattered all over the ground—the question is whether you are. A little, with a cultural level so low that it is almost pitiful, naturally finds it difficult to dig up "gold dolls." However, the little guy's path in life is the right one. What is medicine? It is the study of human life and health, a profound subject that everyone must learn and understand. Having been born into the world and possessing a precious life, are you going to firmly hold it in your own hands, take control of your destiny, and bravely be the master of your fate, or are you going to hand your destiny over to others, leaving yourself at the mercy of mediocre doctors and death? Unfortunately, throughout history, many people have failed to grasp this truth, born as "medical illiterates" and dying as such. Medical books are dull and tasteless, and reading them was also very difficult for me. I often understood little, and many words were unfamiliar to me, so I had to guess and estimate. Strangely enough, my interest was incredibly strong, almost to the point of obsession. Sometimes I would get so engrossed in reading that my mother would call me for dinner, and I wouldn’t even want to come downstairs. There was a book called "Shoushi Baoyuan" that I read over and over again. Later, the "Six-Character Qigong" I practiced as an adult was included in my book "Human Body ×-Shaped Balance Method," which was inspired by this book. Learning medicine in childhood was a precious stage because memory was excellent at that time. Once something was memorized, it was never forgotten, and some things remained unforgettable for a lifetime. My current basic knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine also came from reading medical books back then. Unfortunately, my understanding back then was weak, and I only grasped my grandfather’s lifelong efforts superficially and mechanically. However, I still firmly remembered some of his secret prescriptions and put them into practice. For example, using sesame oil and wine to treat skin diseases: heat sesame oil until it smokes, then cool it and store it in a bottle. Mix half a cup of sesame oil with half a cup of good wine and drink a cup every day. Persist in drinking it for a long time, and it can treat skin diseases. In Anqing, I used this method to treat "skin cancer," and it was indeed effective. Another example is using a handful of root of the plant Daphne genkwa, mixed with a small amount of brown sugar and wine, and applying it by pounding. This can treat severe sores. I used this prescription to cure my mother’s "snakehead carbuncle" on her left hand. Reading medical books in the small upper-floor room is a story from over 60 years ago. Although our family was poor, my mother still supported me in reading medical books. "Knowledge is power" and "understanding medicine means health." Among my seven siblings, only I was interested in medicine. Now, four of the seven are still alive, and only I have achieved some success in medical research. This is entirely thanks to my mother. P1-2