Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1938, Page 170

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surgeons for their élementarý schools. Because of the scattered and
small population outside the largest towns the dentists can hardlv make
their living anywhere else and it is also very difficult for the people
of the more sparsely populated districts to go to the dentists, unless
it is to have a set of artificial teeth made when all their teeth have
decayed. There are altogether 12 dentists in Iceland who have dental
clinics, 9 in Reykjavík and 3 in other of the largest towns. There is a
certain amount of improvement in the fact that an increasing number
of younger district physicians in the more out-of-the-way districts take
up the more simple forms of dentistry to the great convenience of the
inhabitants of their districts as well as for some small additional in-
come for themselves.
Dental mechanics only work in the service of the dentists and must
not practice independentlv. Exemptions from this may, however, be
granted in such districts as have no practising dentists, and the dental
mechanic may he permitted to make artificial teeth for people in con-
cert with the district physician concerned. But these licences have, how-
ever, only very infrequently been applied for.
The public health authorities are entitled to fix a tariff for dentists
and dental technicians but this has not been done so far, except in so
far as dental treatment has been specified in the tariff set for district
physicians and practicing dentists may charge 50% in addition to that.
Travelling Eye-Specialists and Dentists.
. During the summer season eye-specialists travel about the country
under the auspices of the Minister of Public Health with some sub-
sidy from the Treasury. In this way all the inhabitants of the country
get a chance to consult an eye-specialist once every year in their hoine
district. It also frequently happens that dentists make tours of this
kind, but so far no public subsidy has been granted for this purpose.
Veterinary Surgeons.
There are only 6 qualified veterinary surgeons practising in Ice-
land, 5 salaried by the State and one in private practice in Reykjavík.
The same applies to the veterinary surgeons as to the dentists, that
the scanty population of the country makes it difficult for them to
be of general service. This is, however, very inconvenient considering
how great a part animal husbandry plays in Ihe occupational life of
the people, and most probably this disadvantage will be still more
felt if the already increasing breeding of furred animals continues.
The veterinary surgeons receive salaries similar to those of the
district physicians, but besides that they derive additional income from
their professional work, the control of meat being not the least profit-
ahle source of ineome, as there is a compulsory control hv a veterinary
surgeon (or a doctor) of all meat exported from the country.
The shortage of qualified veterinary surgeons is to some extent made
up for by laymen some of whom have acquired a certain amount of
knowledge of veterinary work. Some of these laymen even receive
small public grants for their services.