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299
cal districts. The number of midwives holding appointments is 153
while the number of districts is ai)out 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 medical officers have a small drug store.
17. General Insurance. The National Insurance Act from 1936
(amended serveral 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. 58.7 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 88 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 commmittees, in co-opera-
tion with the local police authorities. The chemical analysis work
is done at the Public Chemical Analysis Institute in Reykjavík. 342
samples of food (milk and milk products excepted) were submitted
for analysis in 1950, out of which number 21 were found to be not
up to the standards (6.1 percent).
19. Hospitals, large and small, in 1949 numbered 49 in the whole
country, with 1378 beds, or 9.6 beds per 1000 inhabitants, 43 of this
number being general hospitals, with 832 beds (5.8 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 leprosarium
and 1 sinall epidemic hospital in Reykjavík. The sickdays (hospitaliza-
tion days) in all hospitals amounted to 3.1 per head for the whole
population; in the general hospitals the figure was 1.7 and in the
sanatoria 0.70. Added to this there is always a considerable number
of tuberculosis patients in the general hospitals (cf. also tables XVII—
XIX).
Patients in general hospitals this year may be classified as follows:
Epidemic Diseases...................... 2.4 p.c.
Venereal Diseases ..................... 0.4 —
Tuberculosis .......................... 2.0 —
Hydatid Disease........................ 0.1 —
Cancer — Malignant Growths............. 3.0 —
Births, Miscarriages etc.............. 22.4 —
Violence ........................... 6.1 —
Other Diseases ....................... 63.6 —
20. Vaccination is compulsory in Iceland. 8658 children were vac-
cinated for the first time, 80 percent with full reaction, and 3302 re-
vaccinated, 73 percent with full reaction (cf. table XX).