When it comes to history, there are three different kinds of individuals: individuals who find history to be amazingly fascinating, individuals who think history is terribly dull, and people who think history is full of aliens.
The history of hearing aids isn’t about aliens (sorry not sorry). But the true story is probably pretty strange as well. After all, hearing loss isn’t exactly a new thing; it’s been around as long as we have. Consequently, people have been exploring clever ways to cope with hearing loss for centuries, if not longer.
An appreciation for your incredible little digital devices, their features, and why it’s important to use them, can be gained by learning some history about them.
For thousands of years, people have been coping with hearing loss
Archaeologists have found evidence of hearing loss that goes back to the dawn of humanity. They can see indicators of ear pathologies in fossil evidence. It’s kind of amazing! Mentions of hearing loss also start showing up as soon as written language is created (for example, there are many Egyptian sources that mention hearing loss symptoms).
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 more challenging to manage then). When you have untreated hearing loss, you will find it more difficult to communicate. Friends and family members may become more distant. When humans were a little more primitive, neglected hearing loss could result in a shorter lifespan as they may not have been able to detect danger.
So for thousands of years, humans have had an incentive to figure out how to treat hearing loss. And they didn’t totally fail at this.
A timeline of hearing aid-style devices
The first thing to appreciate is that our history of hearing aids isn’t exhaustive. Not all evidence of hearing devices is recorded through time. It’s likely that ancient humans did something to alleviate hearing loss, even if there’s no immediate evidence of what that was.
But here’s what we do know about the recognized hearing aid timeline:
- 1200s: Animal Horns: Hollowed out animal horns served as some of the first proto-hearing aids. Evidence of this kind of hearing device goes back to the 1200s, and it’s likely people used them to help reduce the effects of hearing loss. The idea was that the funnel-shape of a hollowed out animal bone would help conduct sound more directly into the ear. There was no amplification involved, so these animal horns weren’t working on the same level as a modern hearing aid (obviously). But it’s likely they give some reasonable ability to reduce distracting sounds.
- 1600s: Ear Trumpet: The “cone shaped” hearing aid was the prominent format for centuries. And that continued into the seventeenth century, when “ear trumpets” became a desirable means of managing hearing loss. They were called “ear trumpets” because, well, that’s what they looked like. The small end would go inside your ear. You could find them made out of a variety of materials (and with a surprising range of shapes). At first, they were large and burdensome. Subsequently, more portable versions that could be carried around with you were created. Again, these were never very effective, because they didn’t amplify sounds. But they were able to funnel sounds into your ear, and direct sound more intentionally toward you.
- 1900s: Electronic Amplification: Alright, here we go: the invention of the carbon microphone (okay, the carbon microphone was actually invented in the late 1800s, but it wasn’t really employed for hearing aids until later). This should start amplifying and make hearing aids a shoo-in for effectiveness, right? Well, not so much. In the early 1900s these devices were too large to be practical or wearable. The base idea was there, but the technology wasn’t fine-tuned enough to be truly useful.
- 1920s: Wearable Hearing Devices: Then came vacuum tubes! At one point, believe it or not, those vacuum tubes that powered those bulky television sets were cutting edge technology. Relatively smaller hearing aids that were about the size of a backpack were now possible. New technologies also allowed better amplification and slightly clearer sound.
- 1940s: Pocket-Sized Hearing Aids: From fitting a hearing aid in a backpack to being able to put one in your pocket or purse, it’s a huge leap! The same impact was now possible with less cumbersome technology as a result of the development of the transistor. It became a substantial advantage, as a result of this technology, to bring your hearing aid with you wherever you went.
- 1970s and 1980s: Hearing Aids Get Smaller: Hearing aids became smaller as technology improved. The 1970s and 80s, in particular, saw a considerable decrease in the size of hearing aids. This made them simpler to use, and more popular. 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 implemented and commercially introduced until 1996, 1982 was the year of the first digital hearing aid. Digital hearing aids were a game changer, they offered a better sound quality, more ways to customize amplification, and the ability to pack everything into a smaller case. Treatment for hearing loss has become more effective since the evolution of digital hearing aid.
- 2000s (and Beyond): Hearing Aids Get Wireless and Smart: An increasing amount of state-of-the-art technology has been put into these digital hearing aids since they were developed. This began with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. And now, modern hearing aids will utilize machine learning algorithms to help you hear better than ever. Hearing aids are more convenient and more effective due to this integration with other technologies.
History’s most advanced hearing aids
Humanity has been working on and improving hearing loss for centuries, at least.
Modern hearing aids can attain that better than at any point in the history of humanity. And because they’re so effective, these little devices are also more prominent than ever before. They can help with a larger number of hearing problems.
So hearing aids can help you if you want to have a better connection with your friends, loved ones, or the clerk at your local pharmacy. (See? No aliens involved.)
Call us and schedule an appointment to discover what hearing aids can do for you!
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References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/hearing-aid-history-ear-trumpets-european-royalty-earbuds