Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1955, Side 223

Public Health in Iceland 1955
A Summary
1. In 1955 the climatic conditions
during the winter months were fairly
favourable, the snow fall though in
many places somewhat exceeding the
average. February was exceptionally
cold, and the mean temperature of
the winter V2 centigrade above the
average. During the summer months
the climatic conditions were unfavour-
able on the South and West Coast but
favourable on the Nortli and East
Coast. The mean temperature of the
summer was 1 centigrade above the
average. The sunshine was in Reykja-
vík 199 hours under and in Akureyri
66 hours above the average.
Although the general public still
enjoyed good living conditions the
economy of the country took an
unequivocal turn for the worse
during the year. Adverse natural
conditions were not to any real
extent to blame. The reason was an
ever increasing inflation with an
ensuing shortage of labour and a de-
ficit in the export production. The
value of imported goods increased
more than the value of exported goods
and the monetary situation had be-
come quite serious by tlie end of the
year.
2. Population, Births and Deaths.
The population was on December lst
1955: 159480 including Reykjavik
63856 (1954: 156033 and 62035).'The
estimated midyear population was
157756 (154270). Tlie marriage rate
was 8.6 (9.3), the birth rate 28.4
(27.8) and the death rate 7.0 (6.9) per
1000 inhabitants. The infant mortality
rate was 22.5 (18.2) per 1000 born
alive. The general death rate is near
the lowest on record, the last year’s
figure being the lowest. The last
year’s infant mortality figure (18.2
per 1000) was the lowest ever regis-
tered.
3. Causes of Deaths are shown on
pp. 78—86.
The following ten are the most
common:
Per 1000
Per 1000 of of the
deaths population
1.60
1.33
0.99
0.58
0.56
0.28
0.15
0.14
0.10
0.10
1.15
Number
Diseases of the Heart .................... 253 230.2
Cancer — Malignant Growths ............... 210 191.1
Apoplexy (defined and ill-defined) ....... 156 141.9
Violence (all forms) ..................... 91 82.8
Pneumonia (Lobar and Lobular, Pn. of
Infants included) ....................... 89 81.0
Diseases of Infants (Pneumonia excepted) 44 40.0
Old Age ................................... 23 20.9
Congenital Malformation ................... 22 20.0
General Arteriosclerosis .................. 15 13.6
Hyperplasia of Prostate ................... 15 13.6
Other and Unknown Causes ................ 181 164.9