When it comes to history, there are three distinct kinds of individuals: people who find history to be amazingly fascinating, individuals who think history is horribly dull, and those who believe history is full of aliens.
The history of hearing aids is not full of aliens (sorry not sorry). 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 we have. Because of this, people have been finding clever ways to manage hearing loss for centuries, if not longer.
An appreciation for your amazing little digital devices, their features, and why it’s important to wear them, can be gained by knowing a bit of history about them.
Hearing loss has been around for thousands of years
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of hearing loss that dates back to the beginning of mankind. Fossil evidence reveals signs 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.
So, clearly, hearing loss is nothing new. And it wasn’t any better then than it is now (this is particularly true because it was more challenging to manage then). Communication will be a lot harder if you have untreated hearing loss. You may lose touch with friends and loved ones. In a more “hunter and gatherer” type of society, you may also lose your ability to detect danger (resulting in a shorter lifespan).
Humans, thus, have had a strong incentive to deal with hearing loss going back thousands of years. And they didn’t totally fail at this.
A timeline of hearing aid-style devices
It’s relevant 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 documented. 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 steps in that direction.
Still, here’s what the recognized “hearing aid timeline” looks like:
- 1200s: Animal Horns: Hollowed out animal horns served as some of the earliest 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. 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 is no amplification. But they most likely help focus the sound you want to hear and limit distracting external sounds.
- 1600s: Ear Trumpet: For hundreds of years, the “cone shaped” hearing apparatus was the prominent format. And that continued into the seventeenth century, when “ear trumpets” became a popular means of managing hearing loss. These devices looked, well, like trumpets. You’d stick the small end in your ear. You could find them made out of a wide array of materials (and with a surprising variety of shapes). The early models were quite large and unwieldy. Eventually, more portable models 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 were able to channel sounds into your ear, and direct sound more intentionally toward you.
- 1900s: Electronic Amplification: Alright, here we go: the development of the carbon microphone (okay, the carbon microphone was actually developed in the late 1800s, but it wasn’t really implemented for hearing aids until later). Their ability to amplify should have made hearing aids effective and practical, right? Not really. In the early 1900s these devices were too large to be realistic or wearable. The root concept was there, but the technology wasn’t refined enough to be truly useful.
- 1920s: Wearable Hearing Devices: Say hello to vacuum tubes! At one point, believe it or not, those vacuum tubes that powered those bulky television sets were state-of-the art technology. These vacuum tubes allowed (relatively) smaller, wearable hearing aids to be manufactured, the size of a backpack. New technologies also allowed better amplification and somewhat clearer sound.
- 1940s: Pocket-Sized Hearing Aids: From fitting a hearing aid in a backpack to being able to put one in your purse or pocket, it’s a giant leap! This was because of the invention of the transistor, which meant you needed less technological bulk to accomplish the same impact. 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 got smaller as technology improved. Hearing aids got substantially smaller in the 1970s and 80s. This made them simpler to use, and more popular. Sadly, the actual amplification was still pretty rudimentary. These hearing aids basically just made everything louder. Most individuals need something a little more fine tuned to address their hearing loss, but it was still better than nothing.
- 1982: Digital Hearing Aid: While not fully adopted and commercially introduced until 1996, 1982 was the year of the first digital hearing aid. Digital hearing aids were a game changer, they provided improved sound quality, more ways to personalize amplification, and the ability to put everything into a smaller package. With the advent of digital hearing aids, treatment for hearing loss became much more effective and successful.
- 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. Wireless, Bluetooth technology came first. And now, modern hearing aids will utilize machine learning algorithms to help you hear better than ever. Hearing aids are more convenient and more efficient due to this integration with other technologies.
The best hearing aids in history
Mankind has been working on and improving hearing loss for centuries, at least.
Better than at any other time in history, we are able to accomplish that with modern hearing aids. And because they’re so effective, these little devices are also more popular than ever before. A wide variety of hearing issues can be addressed.
So hearing aids can help you if you want to have a stronger connection with your friends, family, or the clerk at your local pharmacy. (See? No aliens involved.)
Give us a call 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
