Vigo County Historical Society

First hearing aids were a bit bigger

Several of my friends wear a tiny device that fits in their ear called a hearing aid. When talking with them, one can scarcely notice it.

Had they needed this help 150 years ago, however, their hearing impairment would have been much more obvious to the public. They might have used a device similar to the one pictured, called a tin ear trumpet, circa 1820. This type of hearing aid was actually invented between 1650 and 1700.

It works in a simple way. Sound pressure waves enter through holes in the large bell end of the trumpet. As the sound waves travel into and through the narrower tube, they are condensed into smaller and smaller waves, increasing the sound wave pressure into the ear. The degree of pressure increase depends only on the relative sizes of the large and small openings.

The ear trumpet in the museum is constructed of eight separate pieces of tin soldered together. The tube is in two sections which can be separated, probably to allow ease of transport. A brass wire serves as a lock to hold the two parts of the tube together. The overall length of the trumpet is 21 1/2 inches. The bell opening is 5 1/2 inches in diameter.

As a result of Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone, the first electronic hearing aid came into use around 1900. As these devices became more sophisticated, the ear trumpet became more obsolete. It is now so far removed from the present concept of hearing aids that when elementary school classes touring the historical museum are asked to guess the identify of this object, few come up with the correct answer.

The ear trumpet is displayed on the lower floor of the museum along with a collection of medical items from the past. It was originally owned by Mary E. Stader and was donated to the historical society by Mrs. C.C. Rippetoe in 1961.