When it comes to history, there are three distinct types of individuals: individuals who find history to be amazingly fascinating, people who think history is terribly 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 strange too. After all, hearing loss isn’t really a new thing; it’s been around as long as humans have. Because of this, people have been exploring clever ways to deal with hearing loss for hundreds of years, 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 a bit of history about them.
For thousands of years, people have been dealing with hearing loss
Evidence of hearing loss going back to the very start of human existence has been discovered by archaeologists. Fossil evidence shows indicators of ear pathologies. It’s kind of amazing! Civilizations such as the Egyptians and even older groups were reporting hearing loss for as long as writing has existed.
Which is to say, hearing loss isn’t new. And it wasn’t any better then than it is now (this is especially true because it was harder to manage then). Communication will be a lot more difficult if you have neglected hearing loss. You may lose touch with friends and family members. When humans were a bit more primitive, untreated hearing loss could result in a shorter lifespan as they may not have been capable of detecting danger.
Humans, thus, have had a strong incentive to address hearing loss for thousands of years. And they didn’t totally fail at this.
The progression of hearing aid like devices
The first thing to appreciate is that our history of hearing aids isn’t complete. Not all evidence of hearing devices is documented through time. It’s very likely that ancient humans did something to alleviate hearing loss, even if there’s no direct evidence of what that was.
But here’s what we do know about the known hearing aid timeline:
- 1200s: Animal Horns: Hollowed out animal horns served as some of the first proto-hearing aids. People most likely used this device to amplify sound and decrease the impact of hearing loss and evidence of this sort of device dates back to the 1200s. Sound would be more directly moved to the ear with the funnel shaped horn. Clearly, this device isn’t working on the level of a modern hearing aid because there’s no amplification. But it’s likely they provided some reasonable ability to reduce distracting sounds.
- 1600s: Ear Trumpet: For hundreds of years, the “cone shaped” hearing apparatus was the dominant format. And that continued into the seventeenth century, when “ear trumpets” became a desirable means of managing hearing loss. They were known as “ear trumpets” because, well, that’s what they looked like. You’d stick the narrow end in your ear. You could find them made out of a variety of materials (and with a surprising variety of shapes). At first, they were large and cumbersome. Subsequently, more portable versions that could be carried around with you were created. Since there was still no amplification, they were roughly as effective as the bigger versions. But they could carry 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? Not really. In the early 1900s, these devices were big, and not exactly 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 state-of-the-art, once upon a time! 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 capable of putting one in your purse or pocket, it’s a significant leap! This was because of the development of the transistor, which meant you needed less technological bulk to achieve the same effect. It became a huge advantage, as a result of this technology, to take your hearing aid with you wherever you went.
- 1970s and 1980s: Hearing Aids Get Smaller: As technologies advanced, hearing aids became smaller. Hearing aids got considerably smaller in the 1970s and 80s. Consequently, they became more popular and easier to use. The amplification, unfortunately, was still very basic. These hearing aids essentially just made everything louder. Most people need something a little more fine tuned to manage their hearing loss, but it was still better than nothing.
- 1982: Digital Hearing Aid: The first digital hearing aid was unveiled in 1982, though it was not commercially available until 1996. Digital hearing aids were a game changer, they provided improved sound quality, more ways to customize amplification, and the ability to put everything into a more discrete package. With the advent of digital hearing aids, treatment for hearing loss became much more robust and effective.
- 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 invented. This began with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. And currently, modern hearing aids will utilize machine learning algorithms to help you hear better than ever. This integration with other technologies makes hearing aids more effective, and more convenient!
The best hearing aids in history
Humanity has been working on and improving hearing loss for centuries, at least.
Better than at any other point in history, we are able to accomplish that with modern hearing aids. And because they’re so beneficial, these little devices are also more prominent than ever. A broad range of hearing issues can be managed.
So hearing aids can help you if you want to develop a stronger connection with your friends, family, or the clerk at your local pharmacy. (See? No aliens involved.)
Contact us and schedule an appointment to discover what hearing aids can do for you!
References
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/hearing-aid-history-ear-trumpets-european-royalty-earbuds
https://www.hear-it.org/lighter-smaller-and-better