Woodcut illustrating the 17th century text Xu Ping waike zhengzong (Orthodox Manual of External Medicine with Commentary by Xu Dachun), from an edition published in 1860 (10th year of the Xianfeng reign period of the Qing dynasty).
Right-hand illustration (bee's nest abscess):
The location (fabing buwei) and focus (bingzao) of the condition are shown on the naked back of a male patient. When the disease is at its height, it causes serious damage; the focus of the disease is deep-seated, pus is produced, and the lesions resemble a honeycomb. It is said: 'The skin rots away in many layers, and pus flows from many openings'. Thus it is called fengchao fa or fengke fa (bee's nest/honeycomb lesions). If the focus of the disease is a lively red, the prognosis is good, but if it is black and sunken, the prognosis is poor.
Left-hand illustration (well abscess):
Well abscess (jingju) refers to a type of lesions that is found on the chest at or between the Turtledove Tail (juwei) or (Central Courtyard) (zhongting) points, and is caused by the wild movement of heart fire. If the focus of the disease is raised, red and inflamed, the prognosis is relatively favourable, but if it is hard and purplish black, the prognosis is unfavourable.