Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1938, Page 198

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In addition to the monthly reports from district medical oí'ficers,
on which the above survey is based, medical officers in all districts,
with the exception of one, have made out a list showing the incidence
of malignant tumors during the year. According to these tables there
are 172 cancer patients, besides 7 suffering from sarcoma. On page
49 these malignant tumors are classified according to location.
10. School-Inspection. In Iceland an obligatory medical examina-
tion of all school-children takes place at the beginning of each session,
especially with regard to tuberculosis. At the same time the sanitary
condition of the schools is inspected and all matters bearing' upon
the health of the children are looked into. The inspection is under-
taken by the district medical officers. In Reykjavík, however, there
are special school medical officers. Table IX shows the result of
school inspection in the whole country with the exception of three
districts, comprising 14403 children.
11. Maternity ísee tables XI—XIII). The total number of births
in 1938 %vas 2326 born alive and 62 stillborn, or 26,0%o of the total
number.
Deaths from accidents ol' childbirth and puerperal sepsis during
the preceding years have heen as follows:
1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938
Accidents of Childbirth ......... 10 4 6 7 4 6 7 3 6 3
Puerperal Sepsis ................. 1 5 3 1 3 2 3 1 3 3
Total Number of Deaths .......... 11 9 9 8 7 8 10 4 9 6
The death rate 1938 is 2,6 per 1000 children horn alive. The distri-
bution of accidents of childbirth is as follows: puerperal haemorrage 2
and other accidents of ehildbirth 1.
12. Artificial abortion (see table XII).
During the year 33 artificial abortions took place under the Birth
Control Act, which came into operation in 1935 (in the preceding year
there had been 37). In 10 out of these 33 cases social as well as health
indications had been taken into consideration.
13. Cnre of infants. Infant mortality is on the whole very low in
Iceland, this year 29,2%0 the lowest on record in the world.
The care of infants may bc said to be fairly good and a great
majority of the children are breast-fed. rPhe midwives have made out
a rejiort (table XII) concerning 2320 infants born during the year
(out of 2326 births). In 2239 cases the nutrition of the infants after
birth is reported as follows (Reykjavík figures in brackets):
Breast-fed ....................... 88,0% (98,0%)
Breast- and bottle-fed .... 5,7— ( 0,7—)
Bottle-fed only ............. 6,3—- ( 1,3—)
14. Sanitary officials and workers. (See table I). The total number
of trained medical men in Iceland was 144 in 1938. There are 49 medi-
cal distric.ts, and as a rule they are all filled. The number of midwives