The Ear Institute of Texas

HISTORY OF HEARING AIDS

1588:
Some of the first hearing aids are described by Giovanni Battista Porta in Natural Magick. The hearing aids were made of wood and shaped like the ears of animals known to have acute hearing.

1700's-1800's:
Simple Ear Trumpet:
Many shapes and sizes, used thousands of years.
(image credit: Oticon, Eriksholm Museum)

1700's-1800's:
Acoustic Throne:
Royalty had special thrones and chairs designed to allow courtiers to speak quietly while maintaining a reverent distance.
(image credit: Oticon, Eriksholm Museum)

1700's-1800's:
Clarvox Lorgnette Trumpet:
French design, ear horn and eye glasses combined.
(image credit: Oticon, Eriksholm Museum)

1850's:
London Dome:
Made of thin metal, and could be acquired in a variety of sizes, depending on hearing loss.

Often elaborately decorated dome was known as an opera dome.
(image credit: Oticon, Eriksholm Museum)

1850's:
Acoustic Table Urn:
Multiple decorated openings, was meant to capture sound from any angle in the room.

Channels sound directly to the user through a long ear tube, which could be disguised as part of a table runner.
(image credit: Central Institute for the Deaf)

1930's:
Desktop Hearing Aid:
The first electric hearing aids came to market around 1901 and were very large and impractical.

These were very expensive, costing up to $400 each.
(image credit: Courtesy of the Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum and Archives at the School of Speech Pathology & Audiology, Kent State Uni.)

1930's:
Carbon Microphone Aids:
Wearable multi-part hearing aids were developed and used in the 1930's and 1940's. Many varied in size according to the needs of the user, since greater amplification required larger microphones.
(image credit: Oticon, Eriksholm Museum)

1950's:
Oticon Pocket Model:
This hearing aid allowed the user to improve hearing without standing out in a crowd. The small battery and processing component fit easily into a pocket, or under the user's clothes.
(image credit: Oticon, Eriksholm Museum)

1950's:
Beltone's “Slimettes”:
As transistors got smaller, so did hearing aids. This style concealed the hearing aids in flaps that would hang over the ear from the wearer's eyeglasses.
(image credit: Courtesy of the Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum)

1960's:
Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids

1980's:
In-the-Ear Hearing Aids

2000's:
Mini Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids

back to Hearing Aids home

Telephone:210.696.4327
Fax:210.798.2509

Ear Institute of Texas
525 Oak Centre Drive,
Suite 100,
San Antonio Tx 78258

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