Death of a hospital

Abstract

The life of an institution may come to an end. The closure of a large mental hospital is an event of great emotional importance analogous to the death of an individual. Man has developed a set of rituals to help him cope with emotional turmoil released by bereavement. Since the death of an institution is not common the need for mourning rituals is not so generally acknowledged. We describe a ceremony to mark the closure of Cane Hill Hospital, Surrey.