Anthropometric calliper in canvas roll, as modified for use in the Harpenden Growth Study, by GPM Gneupel, Switzerland, 1930-1948.

Anthropometric callipers accurately measured areas of the body such as the head. These callipers were modified for use in the Harpenden Growth Study. This studied the physical development of a group of children at Harpenden Children’s Home in Hertfordshire during the 1940s. It aimed to develop a benchmark from which children all over the country could be measured. The children resided at the home for a number of years. They were repeatedly measured and assessed as they grew. The study monitored them from pre-school to maturity. The Child Growth Tests were done by James Tanner & R. H. Whitehouse for the Institute of Child Health. They were funded by the Ministry of Health.