There are three types of people out there: people who find history to be amazingly fascinating, people who think history is horribly dull, and those who think history is full of aliens.
Aliens aren’t responsible for the history of hearing aids. But the real story is probably pretty weird too. After all, hearing loss isn’t exactly a new thing; it’s been around as long as humans have. Because of this, people have been uncovering clever ways to deal with hearing loss for hundreds of years, if not longer.
An appreciation for your incredible little digital devices, their functionality, and why it’s important to wear them, can be gained by discovering some history about them.
Hearing loss has existed for thousands of years
Evidence of hearing loss going back to the very beginning of human existence has been discovered by archaeologists. Fossil evidence reveals signs of ear pathologies. It’s kind of amazing! Civilizations like the Egyptians and even older groups were reporting hearing loss for as long as writing has existed.
So, clearly, hearing loss is nothing new. And it wasn’t any better then than it is now (this is especially true because it was harder to deal with then). Communication will be much harder if you have untreated hearing loss. You may lose touch with friends and family members. When humans were a little more primitive, untreated hearing loss could result in a shorter lifespan as they might not have been able to detect danger.
Humans, thus, have had a great incentive to address hearing loss for thousands of years. And they didn’t completely fail at this.
A timeline of hearing aid-style devices
It’s important to note that we don’t have a complete history of the hearing aid. Throughout time, some of the advancements in hearing aid technology were simply not recorded. Even if we don’t have a published record of precisely what ancient people did to alleviate hearing loss, it’s very likely that they took measures in that direction.
Still, here’s what the known “hearing aid timeline” looks like:
- 1200s: Animal Horns: Some of the earliest known proto-hearing aids were hollowed-out animal horns. People probably used this device to amplify sound and reduce the effect of hearing loss and evidence of this type of device dates back to the 1200s. Sound would be more easily carried to the ear with the funnel shaped horn. Obviously, this device isn’t working on the level of a modern hearing aid because there is no amplification. But it’s likely they provided some moderate ability to limit distracting sounds.
- 1600s: Ear Trumpet: The “cone shaped” hearing aid was the dominant form for centuries. And that persisted into the seventeenth century, when “ear trumpets” became a desirable means of managing hearing loss. These contraptions looked, well, like trumpets. You’d stick the narrow end in your ear. You could get them made out of a variety of materials (and with a surprising range of shapes). The early models were quite large and awkward. Subsequently, more portable models that could be carried around with you were developed. Again, these were never very efficient, because they didn’t amplify sounds. But they could bring sound more directly to your ear.
- 1900s: Electronic Amplification: In the late 1800s, the carbon microphone was invented but wouldn’t be implemented into hearing aid technology until early the 1900s. Their ability to amplify should have made hearing aids reliable and practical, right? Well, not so much. In the early 1900s, these devices were big, and not really wearable. The technology would need quite a bit of refinement before it would be very useful.
- 1920s: Wearable Hearing Devices: Then came vacuum tubes! The same technology that energized those old, extremely bulky television sets was actually cutting edge, once upon a time! These vacuum tubes allowed (relatively) smaller, wearable hearing aids to be made, the size of a backpack. New technologies also permitted better amplification and somewhat clearer sound.
- 1940s: Pocket-Sized Hearing Aids: From fitting a hearing aid in a backpack to being capable of putting one in your purse or pocket, it’s a significant leap! The same impact was now possible with less cumbersome technology as a result of the development of the transistor. As a result of this progress, people could conveniently take hearing aids with them wherever they went, it was a significant advantage!
- 1970s and 1980s: Hearing Aids Get Smaller: As technologies improved, hearing aids got smaller. The 1970s and 80s, in particular, saw a significant decrease in the size of hearing aids. As a result, they became more prominent and easier to use. The amplification, unfortunately, was still very basic. They just increased the volume of all of the sound they picked up. Most individuals need something a little more fine tuned to manage their hearing loss, but it was still better than nothing.
- 1982: Digital Hearing Aid: While not fully adopted and commercially available until 1996, 1982 was the year of the first digital hearing aid. Digital hearing aids changed the hearing aid landscape by making everything smaller and more discrete while providing custom amplification and better sound quality. With the introduction of digital hearing aids, treatment for hearing loss became much more robust and successful.
- 2000s (and Beyond): Hearing Aids Get Wireless and Smart: Since the introduction of the digital hearing aid, manufacturers have been able to cram more and more technology into these tiny devices. This started out with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Today, contemporary hearing aids will help you hear better than ever by using machine learning algorithms. This integration with other technologies makes hearing aids more effective, and more convenient!
The best hearing aids in history
For hundreds of years or more, we have been working on managing hearing loss.
Better than at any other time in history, we are able to achieve that with modern hearing aids. And because they’re so beneficial, these little devices are also more popular than ever before. A wide range of hearing issues can be addressed.
So hearing aids can help you if you want to have a stronger connection with your friends, loved ones, or the clerk at your local pharmacy. (See? No aliens involved.)
Discover how hearing aids can improve your life. Call us for an appointment.
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/hearing-aid-history-ear-trumpets-european-royalty-earbuds