Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/60

LEFT HOMICIDE 44 HOMOTAXIS with difficulty, and some loss of life. Pop, (1910) 18,713; (1920) 20,452. HOMICIDE, the killing of any human being. Homicide is of three kinds — justifiable, excusable, and felonious. The first has no stain of guilt; the second very little; but the third is the highest crime that man is capable of committing against a fellow-creature. Justifiable homicide is of various kinds, including such as arise from unavoidable necessity or accident without any imputation of blame or negligence in the person kill- ing. Homicide in the course of justice, in the execution of any criminal or civil process, is of this kind. The necessity must, however, be real and apparent in all cases of this sort. Homicide is justi- fiable in the prevention of any atrocious crime, as an attempt to murder, or to break into a house during the night. Justifiable homicide does not apply to crimes which are unaccompanied by violence, such as the picking of pockets, etc. The general principle of the law is, that when a crime in itself capital is endeavored to be committed by force, it is lawful to repel that force by the death of the party attempting it. Excusable homicide is committed either by misad- venture or in self-defense. Homicide by misadventure is where a man doing a lawful act, without any intention of hurt, and using proper precaution to pre- vent danger, unfortunately kills another ; as when a man is at work with a hatchet, the head flies off and kills a bystander; for the act is lawful, and the effect is merely accidental. As prize-fighting and sword-playing are unlawful, if either of the parties engaged be killed, such killing is felony or manslaughter. Homicide in self-defense, from a sudden affray or quarrel, is rather excusable than justifiable in the English law. Felonious homicide is an act of a very different character from the two former, being the killing of a human creature, of any age or sex, without justification or excuse. It is divided into three classes — murder, manslaughter, and self- destruction. irOMILDON HILL (hom'il-don), a battlefield in England. In 1402 Earl Douglas at the head of 10,000 Scots had ravaged England as far as Newcastle, and was returning, when on Sept. 14 he was intercepted by an English army under Hotspur and the exiled Earl of March and Dunbar, and posted himself upon Homildon (Humbleton) Hill. Hot- spur was eager for a headlong charge, but, by March's advice, the bowmen were set upon the Scots, who sustained an irretrievable defeat. HOMILETICS, the art of preaching; that branch of practical theology which teaches the principles of adapting the discourses of the pulpit to the spiritual benefit of the hearers. HOMILY, a sermon addressed to a congregation of people; a plain, familiar discourse on some religious topic. The "Book of Homilies," in the English Church, is the name given to a collection of sermons setting forth the principal doctrines of Christianity, and principles of Protestantism. The first part was published by Archbishop Cranmer in the reign of Edward VI., and the second by order of Convocation in that of Eliza- beth. HOMCEOMERIA (ho-me-o-me're-a) , the name given to the physical theory of Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, who flour- ished in the 5th century B. c. Accord- ing to this hypothesis, every material substance is made up of infinitely small parts similar to itself. This theory bears some resemblance to that of the monads of Leibnitz in modern times. HOMCEOPATHY^ (ho-me-op'a-the), the system of medicine which aims at curing diseases by administering medi- cines which produce symptoms similar to those which they are designed to re- move. The Latin dictum on the subject is "like cures like." Its founder was Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843); born in Meissen in Upper Saxony. In 1810 he published "Organon of the Healing Art," in which he explained his system, calling it for the first time homoeopathy. Hahnemann and his followers have attempted experimentally to ascertain what therapeutic agent to prescribe in each case. Experience has shown them that the doses should be exceedingly minute. It has many advocates in the United States and abroad. Homoeopathy is opposed to heteropathy or allopathy. HOMOLOGOUS, in geometry, corre- sponding in relative position and propor- tion. In physiology, corresponding in type of structure; thus, the human arm, the foreleg of a horse, the wing of a bird, and the swimming-paddle of a dol- phin or whale, being all composed essen- tially of the same structural elements, are said to be homologous, though they are adapted for quite different functions. HOMOTAXIS, the arrangement of strata in different localities, apparently in the same relative position in the geo- logical series, without its being known whether or not they are contemporane- ous. The existence of the same fossils, or many of them, in strata widely sepa- rated in geographical position, or at least