热论篇/Re Lun

(On Febrile Disease)

黄帝问日:今夫热病者。皆伤寒之类也。或愈或死。其死皆以六七日之间。其愈皆以十日以上者何也?不知其解。愿闻其故。

Yellow Emperor asked:“Generally, the febrile disease is one of the exognenous diseases, some of the patients has restored to health, but some of them died. Those who died were on the sixth or seventh day, and those who recovered were after ten days, why is it so? I don't understand it, and I hope you can tell me.”

岐伯对日:巨阳者，诸阳之属也，其脉连于风府，故为诸阳主气也。人之伤于寒也，则为病热，热虽甚不死;其两感于寒而病者，必不免于死。

Qibo answered:"The Foot Taiyang Channel is the place where all the Yangs converge, its channel connects the Fengfu (Windy Mansion) point of the Du (in the middle of back) Channel; as the Du Channel sees to all the Yang channels of the body, so, Foot Taiyang can dominate the energies of all the Yang channels. When one is invaded by the wind-evil, he will have a fever, but if he only has a fever, he will not die even the fever is severe; but if both the Yang and Yin channels are invaded by the cold-evil at the same time and cause disease, the patient will die.”

帝日:愿闻其状。岐伯曰:伤寒一日，巨阳受之，故头项痛腰脊强[按《史载之方》引“脊”作“背”];二日阳明受之，阳明主肉[《外台》、《伤寒补亡论》引“主”下并有“肌”字]，其脉侠鼻络于目，故身热目疼[《病论》“身”作“肉”字《太素》“热”下无“目疼”二字]而鼻乾，不得卧也;三日少阳受之，少阳主胆[《太素》《甲乙》《病论》“胆”并作“骨”字]，其脉循胁络于耳，故胸胁痛而耳聋，三阳经络皆受其病，而未入于藏[明抄本“藏”作“府”]者，故可汗而已;四日太阴受之，太阴脉布胃中络于嗌，故腹满而嗌乾;五日少阴受之，少阴脉贯肾络于肺，系舌本，故口燥[《太素》《病论》“燥”并作“热”]舌乾而渴;六日厥阴受之，厥阴脉循阴器而络于肝，故烦满而囊缩，三阴三阳、五藏六府皆受[《太素》《病论》“皆”下并无“受”字]病，荣卫不行，五[《太素》“五”作“府”]藏不通则死矣。

Yellow Emperor said: "I hope to hear about the syndromes of the exogenous febrile disease." Qibo said:"On the first day when the patient contracts the exogenous febrile disease, the Taiyang Channel is infected by the cold-evil, he will feel pain on the head, back and loins.

"On the second day, the evil is transmitted into the Yangming Channel. The Yangming Channel takes charge of the muscle, in its course of running, it clips the nose and surrounds the eyes, so the evil will cause the muscle to become hot, the dryness of nose and sleepiness.

"On the third day, the evil is transmitted to Shaoyang. The Shaoyang Channel takes charge of the bone, it runs along the two lateral sides of the thorax and surrounds the two ears, so the evil will cause pain of the chest and hypochodrium, and deafness of the ear. If all the three Yang channels are infected but the evil has not yet entered into the hollow organs, the disease can be cured by diaphoresis.

"On the fourth day, the evil is transmitted into the Taiyin Channel which is spreading over the stomach and surrounding the pharynx, so the evil will cause the distention of the abdomen and dryness of the pharynx of the patient.

"On the fifth day, the evil is transmitted into the Shaoyin Channel. The Shaoyin Channel is connecting the kidney and the lung, and linking the root of tongue, so, the evil will cause hotness of the mouth, dryness of the tongue and thirsty of the patient.

"On the sixth day, the evil is transmitted to the Jueyin Channel. The Jueyin Channel is running around the external genitals and surrounding the liver, the evil will cause the contracting of the scrotum and boring of the patient.

“If all the three Yin and Yang channels, the five solid organs and the six hollow organs are all infected, both the Rong and Wei energies are obstructed, and the solid and hollow organs are impeded, the patient will die.

其不两感于寒者，七日巨阳病衰襄，头痛少愈;八日阳明病衰，身热少愈;九日少阳病衰、耳聋微闻；十日太阴病衰、腹减如故，则思饮食;十一日少阴病衰[《太素》“衰”作“愈”]、渴止不满[《甲乙》《伤寒补亡论》引“谒止”下并无“不满”二字]，舌乾已而嚏;十二日厥阴病衰，囊纵少腹微下，大气皆去，病日巳矣。帝日：治之奈何?岐伯日:治之各通其藏脉[何校本“脉”作“腑”]，病日衰已矣。其[《病论》“其”下有“病”字]未满三日者，可汗而已；其满三日者[《病论》作“其病三日过者”]，可泄而已。

"If the patient's Yang channel and Yin channel are not being infected by the cold-evil at the same time, then, on the seventh day, the disease of Taiyang will turn to the better and the headache will be somewhat alleviated; on the eighth day, the disease of Yangming will turn to the better and the fever of the body will come down slightly; on the ninth day, the disease of shaoyang will turn to the better, the deafness ameliorated and the patient can hear something; on the tenth day, the disease of Taiyin will turn to the better, the swelling abdomen of the patient will become normal as usual and he wants to eat; on the eleventh day, the disease of Shaoyin will turn to the better, the patient is no more thirsty nor with dryness of tongue, and he often sneezes. On the twelfth day, the disease of Jueyin will be recovered, the scrotum becomes relaxed, the lower abdomen becomes comfortable, the evils are all recessive and the patient is recovered thoroughly."

Yellow Emperor asked: "How to treat it?" Qibo answered: "It should base on the conditions of the solid and hollow organs of various channels and treat respectively to cause the disease decline day after day. To the disease which has been infected in less than three days, it can be cured by diaphoresis; to the disease which has been infected for more than three days, it can be cured by purgation."