Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1937, Blaðsíða 171

169
Deaths from tuberculosis may be classified as follows (last year’s
figures in round brackets): Laryngeal tubercuiosis 1 (0), pulmonary
tuberculosis 112 (119), universal tuberculosis 4 (6), scrophulosis 0
(1), tuberculosis of bones and joints 0 (3), meningeal tuberculosis
28 (23), abdominal tuberculosis 3 (4), tuberculosis of the urinary
and generative org'ans 6 (1), other organs 1 (0).
The number of deaths from tuberculosis is about the same as in
the previous year; the annual decline in the mortality from tuber-
culosis is 50—60 compared with 1932 and the previous years; there
is moreover everv reason to hópe, that the rate of mortality from
tuberculosis will continue to decline in years to corne. This decline
in the incidence of tuberculosis infection may doubtless partly be traced
to the fact, that more effective methods than before are now being
used for combating this disease. Formerly preventive measures were
chiefly confined to isolating tuberculous patients in hospitals or
sanaloria, but since 1929 free residential treatment in such institu-
tions has been secured when necessary. Since the appointment in
1935 of a special Chief Tuberculosis Officer, more energetic steps
háve been taken to find out tuberculous patients and detect bacilli-
carriers by means of comprehensive tuberculin-tests and X-ray mass-
examinations, for which purpose special Health Centres have been
established in various towns. Thus it has gradually become the chief
object of the Tuberculosis Service to prevent the infection of per-
sons still healthy, without, however, slackening the care of those
already infec.ted, who, owing to these efforts receive medical advice
and facilities for treatment in an earlier stage of the disease than
otherwise would have been the case, besides that inore effective
methods of treatment are being used now than before. In a paper,
which appears as an Appendix to this Health Report, the Chief Tuber-
culosis Officer of Iceland, Dr. Sigurdur Sigurdsson, describes the
modern, radical methods used in the anti-tuberculosis campaign
and demonstrates how these efforts may lead to increased success
in fighting the disease. The revision of the existing Tuberculosis
Prevention Act is now in progress, witli a view to conforming it to
the present scheme of the Tuberculosis Service and to the future
development of this scheme.
7. Leprosy. The number of patients has been ahnost constantly de-
creasing' in previous years, this year being the lowest on record.
Patients in tlie Leprosarium 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937
at Laugarnes . . 32 27 24 21 19 19 22 19 18 18
Patients Outside Hospital .... 9 11 11 10 8 8 9 7 7 fi
Total number of Patients .. . 41 38 35 31 27 27 31 26 25 24
8. Hijdatid disease (cf. tables V— VII)
1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937
Number of Patients ... 43 30 12 11 10 15 lfi G 11 7
Deaths ........................ 10 8 6 11 6 6 4 3 3 5
22