Árbók Háskóla Íslands - 02.01.1925, Side 250

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Their food has not been altogether suitable and often scanty.
All grain had to be imported from abroad, and for centuries
the trade was a harsh and unjust monopoly. They had to live
mainly on animal food, fish, meat and milk. Bread and porridge
were rarely to he had. Instead they used Iceland moss and even
some kinds of seaweed, e. g. dulse, and even clover, especially
during famines. During the last half century their diet has
changed, and is now similar to that of Scandinavia.
Famines occurred frequently while trade and communications
were undeveloped. They were caused hy polar ice, volcanic erup-
tions, earthquakes etc. People died in thousands from hunger
and hunger diseases. Famines have not occurred during the
last century. Judged by the hygienic demands of the present
day, the hygienic conditions of the Icelanders have been speci-
ally bad, though they are gradually changing for the better.
Population. Natality. Mortality. Tlie popula-
tion of Iceland, when it had been settled, is estimated at 60
-—70.000, while it was only 50.444 in A. D. 1703. For 7 or 8
centuries it had been stationary and even decreased in number.
For population, mortality and natality in A. D. 1751—1920 see
the diagram facing p. 30. During the 18th century famine and
disease ravage tlie island and the population remains stationary.
During the 19th century there is a slow increase, down to
1880—90, but fast and steady subsequently. The fertility of
the population has been great, but the number of births has
continually decreased since the middle of the 19th centm’y.
Yet the number of deaths has decreased far more, aparently be-
cause the great infant mortality (one third of those born) has
disappeared. In the best years now the mortality is 12 per
thousand and the infant mortality 40—50 per thousand of
those born. Though few of the demands of hygiene have been
complied with, the rate of mortality in the island is barely higher
than in Scandinavia where it is the lowest in Europe.
For a 1000 years the Icelanders have suffered hardships on
the verge of the pölar circle, often under famine conditions.
One might imagine that this has influenced them, soul and
hody, if the social and physical environment is considered to
have any great influence.
B. Earlier anthropological researches.
Hardly any anthropological research has been made in Ice-
land. John Beddoe was the first to make anthropometric