Olds age obscures senses . As people grow old they lose gradually the function of their senses of hearing, sight, taste and memory. Hearing loss does not discriminate between the rich and the poor, black and white and the healthy and sick. Hearing loss is not a symptom of poor health but of aging in most cases. Disease or nerve damage may cause hearing loss early in life but generally it is an age factor.
The First Attempts at Hearing Aids
It started in ancient times when people wanted something to improve their hearing process. While some results were comical a few were quite inventive. Certain movies showed old people using a big horn like object to hear, better. This was a joke played upon the person to make him or her look rather foolish. Though there aids were a joke in Hollywood, people were forced to use these aids as the only help available. These hearing horns were made of wood, precious metals, animal horns and sea shells. Though vulgar, the history of hearing aids established the need of hearing aids. Inventors knew that sound had to be captured and directed in to the ear canal.
Advances Made
Later, in 1800 s, for royalty, special hearing aid chairs were invented. These chairs had tubes through which the speaker s voice was carried very near to the royal ear. They were some what effective and used by royals in 1800 s. But the chairs could not be used by the ordinary person as the chair had to be carried every where for the person. Imagine a king on a hunt and a message to be delivered. First the chair should be kept in position then the king should sit and then the message delivered.
Later attempts at hearing aids included table decorations designed to capture sounds and transmit it: glasses with hearing tubes attached; or ear tubes used like string and paper cup telephones that children play with. All these, inspite of the best intentions, failed. It was only after 1800s the recent history of hearing aids began.
Role played by Electricity
The invention of electricity brought a turning point in the history of hearing aids. The new hearing aids used a basic form of microphones to increase the volume of sounds. There inventions were costly for the user and not much of use. In 1940s, with the invention of the transistor and combination of electricity a new era of hearing aids began.
Though not of great benefit to the people of that era, the invention helped the current scientists to understand better what exactly was required to make a good hearing aid.