Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1952, Side 208

Public Health in Iceland 1952. — A Summary,
1. ín 1952 the climatic conditions
were favourable during the first half
part of the year, but infavourable
during the last half. The mean tem-
perature was 1 centigrade under the
average, and the rainfall somewhat
above the average. The sunshine in
Reykjavík during the summer months
were of 118 liours’ longer duration
than the average of 20 summers, and
in Akureyri of 38 hours’ longer dura-
tion than the average of 15—17 sum-
mers.
The country’s adverse balance of
payments was a little greater during
the year and there was again some
tightening up of imports. There was,
however, no shortage of goods and
prices did not rise as fast as in the
two previous years. Workers’ basic
wages rose somewhat at the end of
the year. Unemployment was negli-
gihle.______________________________
Number
Diseases of the Heart .................... 228
Cancer — Malignant Growths ............... 215
Apoplexy (defined and ill-defined) ....... 155
Violence (all forms) ...................... 88
Old Age ................................... 62
Pneumonia (Lobar and Lobular, Pn. of
Infants included) ....................
Diseases of Infants (Pneumonia excepted)
Tuberculosis (all forms) ...............
General Arteriosclerosis ...............
Hyperplasia of Prostate
2. Population, Births and Deaths.
The population was on December 31st
1952: 148938 including Reykjavik
58761 (1951: 146540 and 57514). The
estimated midyear population was
147739 (145417). The marriage rate
was 7.8 (7.8), the birth rate 27.6
(27.5) and the death rate 7.3 (7.9) per
1000 inhabitants. The infant mortality
rate was 20.6 (27.3) per 1000 born alive.
The general death rate of the year is
the lowest on record, the three last
years’ figure, 7.9 per 1000, being the
next lowest. The infant mortality fi-
gure too is the lowest ever registered,
the 1950 figure (21.7) being the next
lowest.
3. Causes of Deaths are shown on
pp. 62—70.
The following ten are the most
common:
62
38
20
14
14
Other and Unknown Causes ....... 186
Per 1000 of
deaths
210.7
198.7
143.3
81.3
57.3
57.3
35.1
18.5
12.9
12.9
172.0
Per 1000
of the
population
1.54
1.46
1.05
0.60
0.42
0.42
0.26
0.14
0.09
0.09
1.26
4. Epidemic Diseases. The incidence
of epidemic diseases in 1952 is shown
in tables II, III and IV, 1—28.
The following table shows the in-
cidence of epidemic diseases in 1948
—1952 as also the aggregate number
of deaths from each disease during
the same period.