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Advances in Audiology
A Brief Look at the Past 50 Years
Early hearing tests consisted of dropping a dime and then a quarter on the floor behind a person to determine his or her ability to hear sounds in low or high ranges. Funnel-shaped ear trumpets were used as primitive hearing devices. It was not until after World War II that audiology became a formal field of study, with major universities forming audiology departments and offering undergraduate and graduate programs. Many injured veterans returning to the US had hearing losses or difficulty interpreting what they were able to hear. To help these vets, medical professionals began serious research on how the ear functions and how information is processed neurologically (central auditory processing – CAP). The focus for the next several decades was on the development of more scientific and precise diagnostic tests. Computer technology greatly advanced diagnostic sophistication and has even provided, recently, the ability to diagnose sensory from neural hearing loss. Computers even lead to the discovery of an entire new area of auditory disturbance – auditory neuropathies. New technology also enabled the development of CAP tests designed specifically for children. After WWII, new, yet still crude, amplification devices were developed. One of the first hearing aid units was a set of earphones connected to a large case with heavy batteries. Next was the transistor-radio styled device that fit into a pocket and had a wired earpiece. This was followed by the behind-the-ear hearing aids. Although audiologists could evaluate patients for hearing loss, they had to send patients to hearing aid sales representatives for amplification devices.