Who Invented the Hearing Aid?
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
