Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1956, Blaðsíða 223
221 —
19S6
The maternity death rate 1956 was
1.30 per 1000 children born. The di-
stribution of maternal deaths is
shown on p. 67.
13. Artificial Abortion (cf. table
XII).
During the year 43 artificial abor-
tions took place under the Birth Con-
trol Act, which came into operation
in 1935. In 6 out of these 43 cases
social as well as medical indications
had been taken into consideration.
14. Sterilizations (cf. table XIII).
Under the Sterilization Act, which
came into operation in 1938, in twenty
years (1938—1957), 301 petitions have
been considered, 251 allowances gran-
tcd and 220 operations performed
(214 females, 6 males). 83.3 per cent
of granted operations were justified by
the unifitness of the persons concerned
themselves, 16.7% by probable defects
of their prospective descendants.
The indications may be classified
as follows:
37.8 p.c.
4.0 —
25.5 —
11.9 —
4.0 —
11.2 —
3.6 —
2.0 —
Physical diseases and infirmity .....................
Pliysical diseases, complicated by mental diseases . .
Mental diseases, psychopathy and neurosis ...........
Mental deficiency ...................................
Impendent puerperal and obstetrical complications ..
German measles in the first months of pregnancy . .
Rhesus incompatibility ..............................
Other indications ...................................
Only once castration has been
agreed to and performed, the person
concerned being a mentally subnormal
and sexually violent criminal reques-
hng the operation liimself.
15. Accidents. The figure of deatlis
hy accidents (including suicide) is
0.50 per 1000 of the whole popula-
tion.
1952 1953 1954 1955 1956
Deaths by Suicide 17 12 19 23 20
tJeaths by
other Violence 71 90 70 68 61
3 he distribution of deaths by acci-
nents is shown on pp. 68—70.
16. Care of Infants may be said to
he fairly good, the great majority of
the children being breast-fed. The
niidwives have made out a report
ttable XIV) concerning 4600 infants
°rn during the year. Reports on the
nutrition of infants were submitted
tn 4319 cases which accordingly were
grouped as follows (Reykjavík figures
m brackets):
Breast-fed ...... 88.7 p.c. (96.9 p.c.)
Rreast-
and bottle-fed 7.9 — ( 1.1 — )
Rottle-fed only . 3.4 — ( 2.0 — )
17. Health Officials and Auxiliary
Personnel (cf. table I). The total num-
ber of licensed medical men in Iceland
was 212 in 1956. There are 55 medical
districts. The number of midwives
bolding appointments is 149 while
the number of districts is about 200.
Trained nurses do little service out-
side hospitals and institutions. Den-
tists are very few (39 in the whole
country). Trained dispensing chemists
are only in the larger towns, in vil-
lages and in the country the district
medical officers have a small drug
store.
18. fíeneral Insurance. The National
Insurance Act of 1936 (amended
several times) covers besides disea-
ses: accident, disablement and old
age insurance, sickness insurance
being obligatory for the whole coun-
try since 1 October 1951.
At the end of the year 96206 per-
sons were registered insured under
the National Insurance Act, organi-
zed in 225 sickness-benefit societies,
cliildren under 16 years being insured
with tlieir parents or foster-parents.
19. Food and Nutrition. Public in-
spection of food has taken place in
this country since 1936, when the