Liu Zongyuan was ill. He called a famous doctor for diagnosis1 and treatment. The doctor said: "Your spleen is swollen2. You will get well by taking good quality fining (poris cocos)."

　　Liu Zongyuan sent someone to buy fining from a herbal medicine shop, boiled it and drank the decoction. However, his illness was not relieved, but turned worse instead.

　　Thinking that the doctor had prescribed the wrong medicine, he called and reproved him, asking what was the matter.

　　The doctor didn't believe this. He poured out the dregs of the decoction from the pot and examined them. To his surprise, they were not fining, but just dried sweet potatoes, dyed and processed.

　　The doctor sighed and said: "The medicine seller is a swindler. The medicine taker does not know head or tail of it. Illness cannot be cured by the doctor alone."

　　柳宗元患病，請來一位名醫(yī)診治。醫(yī)生說：“你的脾臟腫大，吃些上等的獲等就會好的!”

　　柳宗元派人去藥店買來獲菩，煎成湯藥喝了下去。哪知道病情不但沒有減輕，反而更加重了。

　　柳宗元以為是醫(yī)生誤用了藥，就把醫(yī)生叫來，責(zé)問他是怎么回事。

　　醫(yī)生不信自己誤用了藥，把藥罐里的藥渣倒出來驗看。原來不是獲荃，而是經(jīng)過加工染色的老山芋干兒。

　　醫(yī)生嘆了口氣說：“賣藥的是個騙子，吃藥的又不識貨，光靠醫(yī)生是治不好病的!”