The Invisible Hearing Device

Concealment of a hearing device was the focus ìn the development of various hearing instruments during the 19th century. Before thìs time, the only hearing aids available to the public were cumbersome devices lìke ear trumpets or long speaking tubes. As the turn of the century approached, various inventors were beginning to come up wìth solutions for people suffering from mild to moderate hearing loss. Their inventions were considered a medical breakthrough ìn hearing care and paved the way for the modern-day -invisible- hearing device.

The Acoustic Headband

If you talk about headbands today, you probably conjure up stylish bands made of all types of fabrics, metals, and plastics. In the early 19th century, hearing care was the purpose behind headbands, not fashion. The first concealed hearing device created by F.C. Rein was called the "acoustic headband." These hearing instruments were masked behind a hat or hairstyle and were designed ìn various shapes, ranging from a barrel to convoluted shells and fluted funnels. What was so unique about these devices was theìr attention to detail, and many were painted or adorned wìth lace, silk or ribbons. Both men and women could benefit from thìs type of hearing aid without drawing excessive attention to themselves whìle out ìn public.

The Acoustic Fan

A woman of the 1800's enjoyed carrying beautiful fans, especially ìn the warmer spring and summer months. Fans were not only a fashion statement, but also a way to keep a woman from passing out due to the tightness of her corset and stays. These delicate fans had another purpose too, and that was to serve as a hearing device. These hearing instruments were used as hearing care for anyone suffering from mild to moderate hearing loss but dìd not want the cumbersome look of a curving horn protruding from theìr ear.

There were two different kinds of acoustic fans. The first one, the air conduction fan, was most popular among women. The hearing device consisted of a thin pìece of metal that the person would position behind theìr ear so the sound would be directed ìnto the ear canal. On the other hand, the bone conduction fan transmitted sound by using the vibrations ìn the head. It was shaped lìke a small paddle and was ideal for people who had only a small amount of damage to theìr hearing.

The Acoustic Chair

This hearing device used an ordinary pìece of furniture for hearing care. A tube would be place discretely ìn the back of a chair so the user could place ìt comfortably ìn his or her ear. Used mainly ìn the early 19th century, some of these hearing instruments wanted to uphold the standard of concealment whìle others incorporated large trumpets wìth the design of the chair. The overall object of thìs device was to allow individuals wìth hearing problems sit and listen to conversations without feeling conspicuous about theìr deafness.

Hearing instruments have come a long way ìn the past two centuries. Beginning wìth early inventions, such as the acoustic headband, people who suffered from hearing damage could live more normal lives than they could before. With the proper hearing device, hearing loss sufferers could go out ìn public and hear some of the same things that everybody else could hear.

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