Sometimes, it’s good to look to the past to realize how far we’ve come in regards to the development of new technologies that improve lives. Here’s an overview of hearing loss solutions through the ages:
Ear trumpets
There’s some evidence that people beginning in the first century BC attempted to treat hearing loss with hollowed-out horns from cows and other animals. By the late 18th century, ear trumpets were custom made and increasingly used because they had been continuously refined and adapted to use the best materials for conducting sound. They worked by filtering out background noise and funneling sound that someone wanted to hear directly into the ear canal. The biggest problem with ear trumpets is that they were bulky and often made of shiny, highly noticeable brass. Beethoven had several ear trumpets, many of which are in museums today.
Speaking tubes
Speaking tubes were a common hearing loss tool in the 17th Century. They were smaller than ear trumpets and allowed users to hear sounds nearby. However, if you wanted to use an ear tube, someone else had to speak into the funnel at the very end of the tube while the listener placed the other end in his or her ear. This greatly restricted one’s listening abilities.
Basic bone conduction device
These instruments were quite interesting. Developed in the 16th century, they represent the first foray into the modern understanding of hearing and bone conduction. Still, they seem quite silly to us today: The speaker had to hold an apparatus in his or her mouth, the other end of which the person with hearing loss held between his or her teeth. The problem was you had to stand in close proximity to the person with whom you were talking, and there was no way to engage in a group conversation. Can you imagine?
Development of hearing aids
The first electric hearing aid was developed in 1901 – it covered a higher frequency than ear trumpets could, but it was very large and not very effective due to the static. In the 1920s, a vacuum tube hearing aid was much smaller and more effective, but still required a separate pack with batteries that lasted only about one day. In 1947, hearing aids benefited from the development of transistors, so that by the early 1960s, most hearing aid models were worn over or “at” the ear. It wasn’t until the 1980s and the development of lithium batteries and minute circuitry that hearing aids were small enough to be placed in the ear canal.
Today
People with hearing loss today have access to a variety of solutions to help manage their hearing loss including improved hearing aids and cochlear implants. Also, people have access to an array of assistive listening devices to help with everyday sounds and activities, including captioned telephones and sound signalers. Hearing loss solutions have come a long way!
