Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1965, Page 179

177 —
1965
14. AccicLents. The figure of deaths by accidents (including suicide)
is 0,68 per 1000 of the whole population.
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
Deaths by Suicide 19 17 15 17 22
Deaths by other Violence . 86 86 112 101 109
Classification of deaths by accidents is shown on pp. 72—74.
15. Care of Infants may be said to be fairly good, the great majority
of the children being breast-fed at least for the first weeks. The mid-
wives have made out a report (table XIII) concerning 4719 infants
born during the year. Reports on the nutrition of infants were sub-
mitted in 4445 cases which accordingly were grouped as follows :
Breast-fed ............................ 76.69%
Breast- and bottle-fed ........ 18.13—
Bottle-fed only ............... 5.17—
16. Hedlth Officials and Auxiliary Personnel (cf. table I). The total
number of licensed medical men in Iceland was 360 at the end of the year
1965. There are 57 medical districts. The number of midwives holding
appointments is 102, while the number of districts is about 200. Trained
nurses do little service outside hospitals and institutions. Dentists are
too few (69 working in the whole country). Trained disyensing 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 of 1936 (amend-
ed several times) covers besides diseases: accident, disablement and
old age insurance, sickness insurance being obligatory for the whole
country since 1 October 1951. At the end of the year 115710 persons
were registered insured under the National Insurance Act, organized
in 222 sicknessbenefit societies, children under 16 years being insured
with their parents or foster-parents.
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 nutrients. 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 and bac-
teriological investigations are done at the State Laboratories in Reykja-
vik.