People throughout the ages have used whatever means they could to amplify sound, with mixed results. In the 19th century, a series of improvements on pre-existing devices led to the development of the modern hearing aid.
Early Hearing Aids
The first hearing aids helped amplify sound through a hand-held trumpet or horn. They were made of animal horns, wood or metal.
First Patent
According to MyHearingAids.net, Englishman Alphonsus William Webster received the first patent for a hearing aid in 1836. His invention was a curved earpiece to be worn behind the ear to help amplify sound.
Hearing Device
In 1880 R.G. Rhodes was granted a patent for a device that helped conduct sound to the auditory nerve by placing a piece of cardboard or rubber against the teeth.
Electric Hearing Aids
Americans M.G. Foster and Francis D. Clarke received a patent for the first electric hearing aid in 1880. The Device for Aiding the Deaf to Hear amplified sound to help vibrations reach the inner ear.
Acousticon
Miller Reese Hutchinson invented the Acousticon, a precursor of today's electric hearing aid, in 1901.
Tags: amplify sound, electric hearing, Hearing Aids