Li Shih-chen was deeply impressed b

Li Shih-chen was deeply impressed by this story about Tang Shen-wei. When he grew up he also became an enthusiastic collector of old prescriptions. When he cared for the sick and wounded in his native town, he often gave his services free of charge, asking only that his patients bring him secret formulas in lieu of payment. Thus he learned that a certain grass, when burned, gave off a smoke that could cure boils, that a certain herb beaten into a paste was good for insect bite, and that eating the ashes of a certain bean could cure hiccups. He always had his brush-pen ready to jot down these bits of information from his patients.