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The Doctor.

A CERTAIN poor man, named Chang, who lived at I, fell in one day with a Taoist priest. The latter was highly skilled in the science of physiognomy; and, after looking at Chang’s features, said to him, “You would make your fortune as a doctor.” “Alas!” replied Chang, “I can barely read and write; how then could I follow such a calling as that?” “And where, you simple fellow,” asked the priest, “is the necessity for a doctor to be a scholar? You just try, that’s all.” Thereupon Chang returned home; and, being very poor, he simply collected a few of the commonest prescriptions, and set up a small stall with a handful of fishes’ teeth and some dry honeycomb from a wasp’s nest, hoping thus to earn, by his tongue, enough to keep body and soul together, to which, however, no one paid any particular attention. Now it chanced that just then the Governor of Ch‘ingchou was suffering from a bad cough, and had given orders to his subordinates to send to him the most skilful doctors in their respective districts; and the magistrate of I, which was an out-of-the-way mountainous district, being unable to lay his hands on any one whom he could send in, gave orders to the beadle to do the best he could under the circumstances. Accordingly, Chang was nominated by the people, and the magistrate put his name down to go in to the Governor. When Chang heard of his appointment, he happened to be suffering himself from a bad attack of bronchitis, which he was quite unable to cure, and he begged, therefore, to be excused; but the magistrate would not hear of this, and forwarded him at once in charge of some constables. While crossing the hills, he became very thirsty, and went into a village to ask for a drink of water; but water there was worth its weight in jade, and no one would give him any. By-and-by he saw an old woman washing a quantity of vegetables in a scanty supply of water which was, consequently, very thick and muddy; and, being unable to bear his thirst any longer, he obtained this and drank it up. Shortly afterwards he found that his cough was quite cured, and then it occurred to him that he had hit upon a capital remedy. When he reached the city, he learned that a great many doctors had already tried their hand upon the patient, but without success; so asking for a private room in which to prepare his medicines, he obtained from the town some bunches of bishopwort, and proceeded to wash them as the old woman had done. He then took the dirty water, and gave a dose of it to the Governor, who was immediately and permanently relieved. The patient was overjoyed; and, besides making Chang a handsome present, gave him a certificate written in golden characters, in consequence of which his fame spread far and wide; and of the numerous cases he subsequently undertook, in not a single instance did he fail to effect a cure. One day, however, a patient came to him, complaining of a violent chill; and Chang, who happened to be tipsy at the time, treated him by mistake for remittent fever. When he got sober, he became aware of what he had done; but he said nothing to anybody about it, and three days afterwards the same patient waited upon him with all kinds of presents to thank him for a rapid recovery. Such cases as this were by no means rare with him; and soon he got so rich that he would not attend when summoned to visit a sick person, unless the summons was accompanied by a heavy fee and a comfortable chair to ride in.

醫術

張氏者,沂之貧民。途中遇一道士,善風鑑,相之曰:「子當以術業富。」張曰:「宜何從?」又顧之,曰:「醫可也。」張曰:「我僅識之無耳,烏能是?」道士笑曰:「迂哉!名醫何必多識字乎?但行之耳。」既歸,貧無業,乃摭拾海上方,即市廛中除地作肆,設魚牙蜂房,謀升斗於口舌之間,而人亦未之奇也。會青州太守病嗽,牒檄所屬徵醫。沂故山僻,少醫工;而令懼無以塞責,又責里中使自報。於是共舉張。令立召之。張方痰喘,不能自療,聞命大懼,固辭。令弗聽,卒郵送之去。路經深山,渴極,咳愈甚。入村求水,而山中水價與玉液等,遍乞之,無與者。見一婦漉野菜,菜多水寡,盎中濃濁如涎。張燥急難堪,便乞餘瀋飲之。少間,渴解,嗽亦頓止。陰念:殆良方也。比至郡,諸邑醫工,已先施治,並未痊減。張入,求密所,偽作藥目,傳示內外;復遣人於民間索諸藜藿,如法淘汰訖,以汁進太守。一服,病良已。太守大悅,賜賚甚厚,旌以金匾。由此名大譟,門常如市,應手無不悉效。有病傷寒者,言症求方。張適醉,誤以瘧劑予之。醒而悟之,不敢以告人。三日後,有盛儀造門而謝者,問之,則傷寒之人,大吐大下而愈矣。此類甚多。張由此稱素封,益以聲價自重,聘者非重貲安輿不至焉。
  益都韓翁,名醫也。其未著時,貨藥於四方。暮無所宿,投止一家,則其子傷寒將死,因請施治。韓思不治則去此莫適,而治之誠無術。往復跮踱,以手搓體,而汙成片,捻之如丸。頓思以此紿之,當亦無所害。曉而不愈,已賺得寢食安飽矣。遂付之。中夜,主人撾門甚急。意其子死,恐被侵辱,驚起,踰垣疾遁。主人追之數里,韓無所逃,始止。乃知病者汗出而愈矣。挽回,款宴豐隆;臨行,厚贈之。

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