Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1946, Blaðsíða 237

Public Health in Iceland 1946. — A Summary.
1. In 1946 the climatic conditions were ráther favourahle. The
atmospheric pressure was average. The mean temperature of the air
was 1%, the rainfall about 20% above the average. During the summer
months the sunshine in Reykjavík was of 42 hours longer duration
than the average of twenty summers.
Internal industry and trade conditions continued to be very
favourable, and unemployment was unknown. On the other liand
prices were ominously high, and the foreign exchange situation was
becoming precarious.
2. Population, Births and Deaths. The population was on December
31st 1946: 132750 including Reykjavik 48954 (1945: 130356 and
46578). The marriage rate was 7,9 (8,0), the hirth rate 26,1 (26,6)
and the death rate 8,5 (9,1) per 1000 inhabitants. lnfant mortalitg
was 28,5 (34,4) per 1000 born alive. The death rate of the year is the
lowest on record, 9,1 being the lowest registered before (last year).
The lowest infant mortality figure recorded is 28,3%0 (1938).
3. Causes of Deatli are shown on pages 7—13.
The ten following are the most common:
%cc of %c of the
Number deaths population
Olcl Age 172 153,4 1,3
Cancer — Malignant Growtlis 155 138,3 1,2
Diseases of tlie Heart 143 127,6 1,1
Violence (all forms) 112 99,9 0,9
Apoplexy 98 87,4 0,7
Tuberculosis (all forms) 89 79,4 0,7
Pneumonia (Lobar anci Lobular) ... 58 51,7 0,4
Diseases of Infants 41 36,6 0,3
Appendicitis 13 11,6 0,1
Acute Poliomyelitis 13 11,6 0,1
Other and Unknown Causes 227 202,5 1,7
4. Epidemic Diseases. The incidence of epidemic diseases in 1946
is shown in tables II, III and IV, 1—27.
The followning table shows the incidence of epidemic diseascs in
1937—1946 as also the aggregate number of deaths from each disease
during the same period.