Capsules

MATH HORMONES?

Boys do better at math, girls have superior language skills, or so the popular wisdom has it. For years, scientists and educators have been seeking a biological basis for these perceived differences between the sexes. The latest finding is reported in last week's New England Journal of Medicine. Neurologist Daniel B. Hier and Internist William F. Crowley gave intelligence tests to 19 men with a rare disorder that inhibits the pubertal surge of male hormones, androgens. The subjects scored lower than normal males on tests of spatial ability, the capacity to visualize and mentally manipulate objects in space. Girls usually score lower than boys on tests of this skill, which is considered to be important in higher mathematics, physics and engineering. The study, say the authors, suggests that androgens are "essential to the full development of spatial ability." This conclusion is challenged, however, by Harvard Psychologist Jerome Kagan, who feels the test scores are better explained by social factors. "Women are more likely than men to give up or try less hard on spatial tests, because they do not believe that spatial talent is part of their repertoire," he argues. Similarly, men who do not experience normal puberty may "question their ability to perform on tests that they believe are solved most efficiently by more masculine males."

ASPIRIN RISK

Few parents hesitate to administer aspirin when their child has a fever. Yet, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the practice could be dangerous. The academy issued a warning last week advising its 24,000 members that aspirin should not be given to children suffering from influenza or chicken pox. Aspirin and related compounds have been statistically linked to a deadly ailment that strikes 600 to 1,200 American children a year. Reye's syndrome follows in the wake of viral illnesses, causing vomiting and high fevers and, in about a quarter of the cases, coma and death. The connection between aspirin and Reye's syndrome has been the subject of recent controversy. The Health Research Group, an offshoot of the Ralph Nader organization, is seeking a federal court order to require warning labels on aspirin bottles. Aspirin manufacturers insist that studies linking their product to the disease are flawed. "We have a lot more to learn about aspirin and Reye's," admits Dr. M. Harry Jennison, director of the A.A.P. But, he points out, "aspirin is probably overused in general. You really don't have to jump on a fever with any drug very quickly." As an alternative, the academy suggests that parents use tepid sponge baths to reduce fevers.

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