The ear trumpet is the predecessor to today's modern hearing aids and is defined as a tubular or funnel-shaped

device that collects sound waves and then drives them into the ear canal. It's said that the earliest hearing aid was a cupped hand held behind a person's ear. And over several hundred years, that same, simple concept was used to develop a wide array of ear trumpets of varying shapes and sizes, made from a broad range of materials. In fact, the design and materials used to make an ear trumpet were often seen as a reflection of the owner's status. 

​

Join Dr. Joseph B. Touma and his son, Dr. B. Joseph Touma, as they take a look at the colorful and extremely interesting history of ear trumpets in the video below. 

​