Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1933, Blaðsíða 186

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both years included, a total number ot' 12 tuberculous patients is
notified. The district medical ollicers seem to be right in their judg-
ment that the disease is not of long standing in the village, as may
l>e seen from the fact tliat out of 7 notified cases during tlie period
from 1928 -1931, (5 are persons immigrated from other parts, onlv
one caught the disease within the district. But tlie figures soon change
wlien these patients begin to spread infection. Thus in the years 1932
1934 four out of five notified patients have probal)ly caught infection
in the district but only one outside.
Pirquet tests on all children in the village, aged 1 ltí, 77 in
number, showed that 14, or a little over 18 7» were Pirquet-positive.
From the diagram may be seen tliat a great majoritv of the Pirquet-
[M)sifive children live at the houses of the infection carriers or in
their vicinity. In this way tlie infection of nearly all tlie infected
ehildren could be traced to infection carriers who live or liave lived
in the village.
Clinical examinations were also carried oul on tlie children and
on all adults who were found dubious and wlio for a long time had
associated with tuberculous persons. Thus 160 persons were clinically
examined.
Two indubitable infection carriers were found among the patients.
Translumination bv X-rays which was to be carried out on all the
Pirquet-positive cliildren and other dubious people could not take
place for want of electricity.
Conclusion. In Dr.Sigurðsson’s opinion it is necessarv: (l)to segre-
gate the two infection carriers in so far as it maybe practicable, possibly
remove them to a hospital or sanitarium if necesserv; (2) to keep a
strict eye upon the infected children’s health, their homes, and all the
dubious people, and (3) to carry out tuberculin tests on all the Pirquet-
negative children every year, in order that it may be ascertained
where and when tliey catch infection and hy wliom infected.
7. Leprosy is steadily decreasing, as may be seen from the following
survey for 1924—1933:
Patients in the Leprosarium 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933
at Laugarnes , . 40 38 36 34 32 27 24 21 19 19
Patients Ontsicle Hospital . . . .. 14 12 14 10 í) 11 11 10 8 8
Total Number of Patients . . . . . 54 50 50 44 41 38 35 31 27 27
This year, however, a new lepra patient was discovered, a tliing
which has not happened for many years. The patient was a young
woman, a resident ol’ Reykjavik but born and bred in the country.
The case was tubercular íeprosy.
8. Hydatid diseast : (cf. tables V VI).
1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933
Numbers of Patients . . . 43 50 46 46 43 30 12 n 10 15
Deatlis 5 16 12 8 10 8 6 n 6 6
This survey of the numbcr of patients is based upon monthly re-
ports from medical officers, showing tlie number of patients who
consulted them, and the increase in the number of patients may only
be due to a more preeise notiíication.