Determination of body surface area in the rhesus monkey

Body surface areas (BSA) of 31 apparently normal rhesus monkeys of both sexes weighing 3.2-5.3 kg were determined by the direct skinning technique. The range of measured BSA was 1,940-3,020 cm2 (mean = 2,430 cm2). The BSA values of male and female monkeys were not significantly different. The K value, calculated as the ratio of BSA (cm2)/body wt2/3 (kg), was 969 +/- 15 (SE). Based on the principle of least squares for goodness of fit between the measured and calculated BSA, the best equation was determined to be (see article). A nomogram was constructed for rapid determination of the BSA of rhesus monkeys with known body weight and lengths (head to anus). Monkey BSA could also be computed by multiplying the DuBois human BSA equation by a factor of 1.147 for the head-to-anus measure of length or by 0.891 for the head-to-heel measurement.