Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1949, Síða 300
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(table XIII) concerning 3886 infants born during the year (the total
number of births being 3951, stillbirths included). Reports on the
nutritions of infants were submitted in 3762 cases which accordingly
were grouped as follows (Reykjavík figures in brackets):
Breast-fed ..............
Breast- and bottle-fed . .
Bottle-fed only..........
91,9 p.c. (99,4 p.c.)
4,0 — ( 0,2 — )
4,1 — ( 0,4 — )
16. Sanitarij Officials and Workers (cf. table I). The total number
of trained medical men in Iceland was 179 in 1949. There are 51 medi-
cal districts, but there is a difficulty in filling some of the smallest
and remotest. The number of midwives holding appointments is 165
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 Iarger towns, in villages and in the country
the district medical officers have a small drug store.
17. General Insurance. The National Insurance Act from 1936
(amended several times) covers besides diseases: accident, disable-
ment and old age insurance. In all urban districts insurance against
loss of health is obligatory, in rural districts the parish councils may,
after a general vote has been taken and a majority for it obtained,
adopt compulsory insurance. 57.2 percent of the population are now
insured under the National Insurance Act (children insured with
their parents not included). The total number of insured is estimated
to comprise 85 percent of the population.
18. Food and Nutrition. Public inspection of food has taken place
in this country since 1936, when the Food Adulteration Act came into
force. This Act provides for comprehensive control of all articles of food
and other nutritients. This inspection is in the hands of the district
medical officers of health and the sanitary committees, in co-opera-
tion with the local police authorities. The chemical analysis work
is done at the Public Chemical Analysis Institute in Reykjavík. 166
samples of food (milk and milk products excepted) were submitted
for analysis in 1949, out of which number 33 were found to be not
up to the standards (19,9 percent).
19. Hospitals, large and small, in 1949 numbered 49 in the whole
country, with 1346 beds, or 9,5 beds per 1000 inhabitants, 43 of this
number being general hospitals, with 800 beds (5,7 per 1000). In the
tuberculosis sanatoria there are 257 beds (about 1,8 per 1000). Of other
special hospitals may be mentioned: 1 lunatic asylum, 1 leprosium
and 1 small epidemic hospital in Reykjavík. The sickdays in hospi-
tals (hospitalization days) amounted to 3,1 per head for the whole
population, while in the general hospitals the figure was 1,7 and in
the sanatoria 0,75. Added to this there is always a considerable number
of tuberculosis patients in the general hospitals (cf. also tables XVII—
XVIII).