Læknablaðið - 01.04.1943, Blaðsíða 24

LÆK NA B LAÐ 1 Ð
128
Jónassen (1882) acc-ording to clin-
ical invéstigations came to the con
clusion that 1 of every 60 was in-
fested. Magnússon (1913) estimat-
ed 1 of 240 clinically sick from
echinococcosis.
The present survey is based on
900 autopsies from the State
Hospital in Reykjavík from 1930
—1941 (inclusive). Children under
2 weeks were omitted as well as
foreigners.
Among these 900 autopsies 41
hydatid cysts were found, or in
•one of every 21. The occurrence ot'
hydatid cysts increases with in
creasing age, and no cyst was
f-ound in persons under 20 years
of age. In those who were 71
years or older one or more cysts
were found in 21%, and in those
who were 61 years and older hyda-
tid cysts were found in 16%.
All these cysts were old, most
of them dead and calcified, and it
must lie assumed that most if not
all of these people have been in-
fested in their youth. Probably
about every 6th person above 30
years of age has been infested with
echinococcosis 30 years ago in this
country.
Lccalisations of growth. Of the
41 cysts 37 were found in the liver.
One was found in the spleen and
two in the heart.
Disappearence of echinococcosis.
The absence of hydatid cysts in
children and young people as oom-
pared to the frequent occurrence of
old and dead cysts in old people
clearly indicates a vanishing dis-
ease. The causes of this disappear-
ance are:
1. Better living conditions and
increased cleanliness of the popu-
lation.
2. Widespread knowledge of the
parasite and its liíe cycle through
doctörs, schools, etc.
3. Reduced numbers of dogs and
systenratic yearly treatment oí
every dog with an anthelminthic.
Theeffectof this measure isevident
from the disappearence of all kinds
of helminthic cysts in sheep, also
the coenurnus cerebralis.
4. Increased control og slaught-
erhouses in order to prevent dogs
from having access to hydatid
cysts from sheep.
5. Changes in sheep-breeding.
The lambs are now slaughtered 4
—5 months old insted of breeding
3—4 years old rams as was for-
merly customary. Most of the
lambs do not gr-ow old enough now
to produce fertile hydatid c\rsts.
Heimildir:
1) Schleisner, Island undersbgt
fra et lægevidenskabeligt Syns-
punkt. Kbh. 1849.
2) Jón Finsen, Iagttagelser an-
gaaende Sygdomsforholdene i Is-
land. Kbh. 1874.
3) Jónas Jónassen, Ekinokok-
sygdommen, Kbh. 1882.
4) Guöm. Magnússon, Yfirlit yf-
ir sögu sullaveikinnar á íslandi.
Fylgirit Arbókar Háskóla íslands.
Rvík 1913.
5) Niels Dungal, Echinokokkus
des Herzens. Act. Pathol. et Micro-
biol. Scand., 1938, XV, p. 90.
Afgreiðsla og innheimta Læknablaðsins er í Félagsprentsmiðjunni h.f.,
Reykjavik. Sínii 1640. Pósthólf 570.
Félagsprentsmiðjan h.f.