Hahnemann

SAMUEL CHRISTIAN FRIED RICH, (hah'namahn,) an eminent German physician, B. in Mei en, 1755, after practising for some years in Dresden, brought into practice, 1796, the new system of medical treatment known as homœopathy (q. v.), and unfolded his views in a work entitled Organon of Rational Medicine. D. in Paris, 1843. Hail, (hal.) [A. S. and Ger. hagel.] (Meteor.) A ma of compact globules of ice of different sizes, which fall in the atmosphere. In our climate H. falls principally during spring and summer, and at the hottest times of the day: it rarely falls at night. The fall of H. is always preceded by a peculiar noise. II. is generally the precursor of storms, it rarely accompanies them, and follows them more rarely still. H. falls from the size of small peas to that of an egg or an orange. The formation of hailstones has never been altogether satisfactorily accounted for; nor more especially their great size. On Volta's theory the hailstones are succe ively attracted by two clouds charged with opposite electricities; but if the hailstones were thus attracted, it is much more probable that the two clouds would be mutually attracted, and would unite. Halmatu'ria. (Med.) Same as HÆMATURIA, q. v. Hai-nan, (ha-nahn',) an island of the Chinese empire, p. Quang-tung, separated by a narrow strait from the mainland, E. of the Tonquin Gulf; Lat. 18° 10'-20° N., Lon. 108° 25′-111° E. Its coasts are generally fertile and well cultivated, but the interior is barren, mountainous, and peopled by nomad and uncivilized tribes. Prin. port, Kiang-chow-foo, opened to foreign ships in 1858. Area, 12,000 sq. m. [s. 434]