October is Audiology Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to celebrate the progress and innovation within the field of audiology. From groundbreaking research to life-changing technology, it’s inspiring to look back at the milestones that have shaped hearing health care as we know it today. Here’s a timeline of 14 key achievements that highlight just how far audiology has come.
4th Century B.C.—Hippocrates, the famous Greek doctor, uses clinical research to try and find the cause of hearing loss, which he attributes to weather changes, the direction of winds and skull trauma.
4th Century A.D.—Alexander of Tralles, a physician, uses two methods to treat hearing loss—herbs and blowing a trumpet in the ear canal.
1898—Miller Reese Hutchinson invents the Akouphone, the first electronic hearing aid.
1920s—The audiometer, which allows for precise measurement of hearing loss, is invented.
1940s—Many World War II service people return stateside with noise-induced hearing loss, spurring the government to create hearing rehabilitation programs at military hospitals.
1946—The term “audiology” first appears in print in the Journal of Speech Disorders and the Volta Review.
1946—Raymond Carhart, known as “the Father of Audiology,” invents speech audiometry, a method he employs to evaluate how well hearing aid users understand speech.
1953–1958—The invention of the transistor and integrated circuit revolutionizes the design of hearing aids—they go from pocket-size to small enough to fit on the head or in the ear canal.
1961—William House installs the first cochlear implant in a patient.
1962—Marion Downs creates the first infant hearing screening program for the early detection of hearing loss.
1977—The Academy of Doctors of Audiology is founded.
1978—The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is founded.
1994—The first Au.D. (doctorate in audiology) training program begins at Baylor University.
2007—All new practitioners are required to have an Au.D.
Today, the field of audiology continues to evolve as technology and research advances. However, the goal of audiological care is still the same as in the past—to improve each patient’s ability to hear, communicate and live well.
To make an appointment with our audiology experts about any hearing concerns you have, please call (352) 629-4418.