[Dying yesterday, today and tomorrow].

The author defines the problem how to help the sick in finem by psychological means. She abstracts from medical aspects (medication of pain, euthanasia etc.) and emphasizes the ritualization of death under conditions of hospitalization. Contemporary practice calls for a solution which is possible by cultivation of the internal contents of ritualization. The reflections are supplemented by the results of a preliminary enquiry among doctors in a postgraduate course.