© CID - St. Louis

DEAFNESS IN DISGUISE

Concealed Hearing Devices of the 20th Century

Hearing aids that fit into a shirt pocket or clipped to a lapel were the first all-wearable styles, housing the batteries, small vacuum tubes, or transistors and microphone into the same casing. Much of the early marketing of these kinds of devices was directed toward men, who often wore suits, ties, and shirts with pockets. Pocket aids included a tie or pocket clip with an insignia to camouflage the microphone.

© CID - St. Louis

Pocket Aids
This photograph demonstrates how a "pocket aid" could be discreetly tucked into one's pocket.

© Courtesy of Sonotone.

© Bernard Becker Medical Library

Sonotone Insignia
Decorative insignia to hide a hearing aid microphone styles were available to camouflage the microphone.

Tie Clip Models
Hearing aids that clipped to a tie or a lapel were the first all-wearable models of hearing aids.

© Courtesy of Sonotone.

SonoCharms
Insignia designs were soon incorporated into women's jewelry as seen in this ad for "SonoCharms."

Acousticon "Wrist-Ear"
The Acousticon "Wrist-Ear," produced around 1955, was advertised as a "revolutionary new accessory" as seen in this ad. Cords for the wristwatches were concealed under the sleeves.

© Courtesy of Telex Communications, Inc.

© CID - St. Louis

Telex Fountain "Pen"
The Telex 300 was produced in 1950 and, according to the ad, was a "precedent shattering" model "to help keep your hearing loss a secret from all the world."