St Veronica's and The White Visitation

[jbor at bigpond.com]

Note also that the full name is "the Hospital of St. Veronica of the 
True Image for Colonic and Respiratory Diseases" (46), which seems to 
be another variation on the theme of "shit, money, and the Word" -- 
well, maybe not "money" so much, except that Pointsman's main gripe is 
to do with insufficient funding.

But there's a "war-neurosis ward" at St V's too, just like at TWV. 
Lotta psychiatric research done on a lotta soldiers in and around WWII. 
(Lotta psychologically-damaged soldiers too, I guess.)

Some thoughts: There are different "Wings" in TWV, and usually four 
wings to a Palladian house. The four wings of a Palladian house's 
ground plan within a circular estate form a mandala (like the Swastika, 
for example). The last part of the description in that section (p. 83, 
from the dash) is quite beautiful.

And I think now that the connection or conflation of the two 
architectural edifices is solid, intent or not. Note the later 
reference to "Ick Regis Abbey" (138): the German V-2 which kills Kevin 
Spectro as it wipes out half the roof of St Veronica's hospital is 
equated to Henry VIII's destruction of the monasteries, via the simile.

best