# Hey, Cecil! Memorial Hospitals?!?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-cecil-memorial-hospitals/126734>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 3, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-cecil-memorial-hospitals/126734 "2002-09-03T00:50:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-cecil-memorial-hospitals/126734/1 "2002-09-03T00:50:17Z")

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Hey, here’s one for Uncle Cecil and the SD to consider! Why do so many hospitals have “Memorial” in their name? Doesn’t this sound like bad PR - as if the hospital has a high death rate, maybe? What gives? Should we avoid such hospitals? - Jinx

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**Author:** ![peasea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc79bd/32.png) [@peasea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peasea)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-cecil-memorial-hospitals/126734/2 "2002-09-03T00:55:18Z")

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Wild guess: The hospitals were built with large donations from the estates of deceased philanthropists.

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**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-cecil-memorial-hospitals/126734/3 "2002-09-03T01:52:02Z")

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I’ve wondered about this too. The hospital in my hometown is “Brazosport Memorial Hospital.” To whom is it a memorial? Brazosport is a municipal area, not a person. And it’s not dead.