History of modern audiology
Ear trumpets date back to at least Roman times, if not before, and, actually most of today’s audiology isn’t very modern. It needs a makeover.
In 1895- Miller Hutchison invented the first electronic hearing aid company called Akouphone. His first products which were were big and bulky, but then, so were ladies clothes. So much could be hidden. It was probably not very practical though to have to use a big box on a table. By the early 1900’s there was a more portable version called the Acousticon. There are some terrific online hearing aid museums if you want to read more. My favourite pictures are of ear trumpets as fashion statements.
My interest is in how we got stuck in an audiological time warp and haven’t really moved on. Hearing aids have hot smaller and cleverer. They sound better, and for the last thirty years or so they work better than ear trumpets. I use them. I do of course use Blamey Saunders hearing aids, with ADRO processing and other modern sound processing features. And I love them. My hearings a bit assymetric, so I love being able to personalise them myself. The origins of the modern discipline of audiology, which is more than just hearing aids, were in the need to assist returning military personnel after WW 2 when some kind of rehabilitation was needed. was needed.
Now we have the internet, digital processing, and a push to self help. Let the new era begin.