Description
This is a hearing aid. One in three adults in the UK today is D/deaf, has hearing loss, or has tinnitus. Until the invention of the electronic hearing aid at the very end of the 19th century, an acoustic device like this was the best option for people with hearing loss.

The tip of the tube is placed in your ear canal, and the round circular bottle helps collect and amplify sounds. If you cup your hand to your ear, you’ll get a hint of the same effect. This hearing aid is silver-plated and decorative. Other examples are more simple in design.

22/07/2024
Created by: Hannah Price on 22/07/2024

Description
The use of a cupped hand or some other substitute to improve hearing have been known for many years. The first hearing aids were thought to be cattle horns with the wider end turned towards the speaker to pick up sound.

In the 18th Century hearing aids were purpose-built and became decorative, often embellished with ivory silver or gold. Many sizes and styles of hearing aid were developed during the 19th Century made from materials such as tortoiseshell and tinplate, often coming in decorative cases.