More on Simplified Calculation of Body-Surface Area

To the Editor: Mosteller (Oct. 22 issue) 1 has introduced a simplified formula for calculating body-surface area (BSA). Unfortunately, the author does not mention whether it is applicable to all ages, since BSA does not have a simple exponential relation with body weight (Wt), height (Ht), or both. We therefore tried to assess the accuracy of the formula when applied to children. The BSA of 168 children between 1 month and 14 years of age was calculated according to the equation suggested by the author: The resulting values were then compared with those derived from the classic 1916 formula of Du . . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.