Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1948, Page 256

Public Health in Iceland 1948. — A Suinmary.
1. In 1948 the climatic conditions were rather unfavourable. The
atmospheric pressure was average. The mean temperature of the air
was % 0 above the average. The rainfall was just above the average.
During the sumraer inonths the sunshine in Reykjavik (on the
southern coast of the country) was of 12 hours’, in Akureyri (on the
northern coast) of 40 hours’ longer duration than the average of 20
and 15—17 summers respectively.
In spite of a continuous difficulty as regards the foreign exchange
situation and prices rising higher and higher, internal industrij and
trade still prospered, and unemployment was practically unknown.
2. Population, Births and Deaths. The population was on December
31st 1948: 138502 including Reylcjavilc 53384 (1947: 135935 and
51690). The estimated midijear population was 137219 (134343).
The marriage rate was 8,5 (8,3), the birth rate 27,8 (27,6) and thc
death rate 8,1 (8,6) per 1000 inhabitants. lnfant mortalitij was 26,2
(22,4) per 1000 born alive. The death rate of the year is the lowest on
record, 8,5 ]>er 1000 being the ncxt lowest (1946). The last year’s
(1947) infant mortality figure is the lowest ever registered.
3. Causes of Death are shown on pages 9-
The ten following are the most common:
Cancer — Malignant Growths ..
Old Age ....................
Diseases of the Heart .........
Apoplexy ......................
Violence (all forms) ..........
Pneumonia (Lobar and Lobular)
Diseases of Infants ...........
Tuberculosis (all forms) ......
Nephritis .....................
Hypertrophy of Prostata .......
Other and Unknown Causes ....
-15.
Number %c of deaths %c of thc population
193 173,1 1,4
158 141.7 1,2
157 140,8 1,1
115 103,1 0,8
92 82,5 0,7
55 49,3 0,4
52 46,6 0,4
47 42,2 0,3
19 17,0 0,1
18 16,1 0,1
209 187,6 1,5
4. Ejndemic Diseases. The incidence of epidemic diseases in U
is shown in tables II, III and IV, 1—27.
The followning table shows the incidence of epidemic diseases m
1939—1948 as also the aggregate number of deaths from each disease
during the same period.