Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1947, Síða 253

Public Health in Iceland 1947. — A Summary.
1. In 1947 the climatic conditions were rather nnfavourable. The
mean temperature of the air was just above the average and likewise
the rainfall. During the summer months the sunshine in Reykjavik
(on the southern coast of the country) was of 215 hours’ shorter, in
Akureyri (on the northern coast) of 16 hours’ longer duration than
the average of 20 and 15 summers respectively.
In spite of a precarious situation of the foreign exchange, internal
industry and trade conditions still continued favourable, and un-
employment was practically unknown. Prices, already ominously high,
wTere still rising.
2. Population, Births and Deaths. The population was on December
31st 1947: 135935 including Reykjavik 51690 (1946: 132750 and
48954). The estimated middleyear population w7as 134343 (131553).
The marriage rate was 8,3 (7,9), the hirth rate 27,6 (26,1) and the
death rate 8,6 (8,5) per 1000 inhabitants. Infant mortality w7as 22,4
(28,5) per 3000 born alive. Thc death rate of the year is very near
the lowest on record, 8,ó%c being the minimum registered (last year).
The infant mortality figure is by far the low'est recorded, 28,3^«, heing
the next low7est (1938).
3. Canses of Death are showm on pages 8—14.
The ten followáng are the most common: %o Of %o of the
Number deaths population
Cancer — Malignant Growths 189 162,7 1,4
Old Age 171 147,2 1,3
Diseases of the Heart 159 136,8 1,2
Apoplexy 128 110,2 1,0
Violence (all forms) 110 94,7 0,8
Tuberculosis (all forms) 71 61,1 0,5
Pneumonia (Lobar and Lobular) 58 49,9 0,4
Diseases of Infants Arteriosclerosis (outside the Heart and 47 40,4 0,4
Kidney) 14 12,0 0,1
Clironic Nepliritis 13 11,2 0,1
Other and Unknown Causes 202 173,8 1,5
4. Epidemic Diseases. The incidence of shown in tables II, III and IV, 1—27. epidentic diseases in 1947
The followning table shows the incidence of epidemic diseases in
1938—1947 as aíso the aggregate number of deaths from each disease
during the same period.
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