Four Insertion Tapes used for measuring upper arm circumference to assess malnutrition, with instructions, for use in the developing world, by TALC (Teaching Aids at Low Cost), St. Albans, England, 1992

Monitoring a child’s growth rate is one way of highlighting malnutrition and diagnosing the presence of disease. These four insertion tapes measure upper arm circumference to assess malnutrition in the developing world. They are wrapped around the upper arm and inserted back through a slit at the end. This is where the arm circumference is accurately read in two millimetre increments.

The insertion tapes were made by the charity Teaching Aids at Low Cost (TALC). They are deliberately ‘low tech’. They are made from tear resistant paper and one tape cost 20p back in 1992. TALC was founded by Professor David Morley in 1965. It was a response to overseas students requesting teaching materials they could use back in their own countries.