Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1945, Blaðsíða 267

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inspection in the whole country with the exception of one district
comprising 13221 children.
12. Maternity (cf. tables XII—XIV). The total number of births
in 1945 was 3434 born alive and 65 stillborn, or 18,G%0 of the total
number.
Deaths in connection with childbirth during the preceding years
have been as follows:
193G 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
Accidents of Childbirth .... 3 G 3 3 410 8 7 8 7
Puerperal Sepsis ............ 1 3 3 2 1 3 3 3 1 1
Totaí Number of Deaths .... 4 9 6 5 5 13 11 10 9 8
The maternity death rate 1945 is 2,0 per 1000 children born.
The distribution of accidents of childbirth is shown on page 13.
13. Artificial Abortion (cf. table XII).
During the year 45 artificial abortions took place under the Birth
Control Act, which came into operation in 1935 (in the preceding year
there had been 49). In 17 out of these 45 cases social as well as health
indications had been taken into consideration.
14. Accidents. The figure of deaths by accidents (0,8 per 1000 of the
whole population) was still a lot higher than the average number
before the war.
1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945
Deaths by Suicide ...... 15 9 15 12 12 8 13 2 7 12
— — other Violence . 102 51 75 55 93 195 117 127 124 87
The distribution of deaths by accidents is shown on pages 13—14.
15. Care of Infants may be said to be fairly good, the great majority
°f the children being breast-fed. The midwives have made out a repört
(table XIII) concerning 3377 infants born during the year (out of
3434 births). In 3255 cases the nutrition of the infants after birth is
i'eported as follows (Reykjavik figures in brackets):
Breast-fed .................... 90,7 % (97,0 %)
Breast- and bottle-fed .... 4,2 — (0,7 —)
Bottle-fed only ............... 5,1 — ( 2,3 —)
16. Sanitary Officials and Worlcers (cf. table I). Tlie total number
of trained medical men in Iceland was 165 in 1945. There are 51 medi-
cal districts, but there is a difficulty in filling some of the smallest
hnd remotest. The number of midwives holding appointments is 173,
"while the number of districts is about 200. Trained nurses do little
service outside hospitals. Dentists are very few. Trained dispensing
chemists are only in the larger towns, in villages and in the country
the district medic.al officers have a small drug store.
17. General lnsurance. The National Insurance Act from 1936
(amended several times) covers besides diseases: accident, disable-
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