Described by Politzer (26, P708) ‘The hearing trumpet made by Jos. Leiter of Vienna from a light hard rubber consist of a doubly curved sound receptor on the upper end of which is is attached a short flexible hearing tube…

Which goes on to say … The instrument has the advantage that the larger portion made of hard rubber can be put in the side pocket so that it is less conspicuous than other instruments of this kind’. The tube is made from woven silk. Although described as an ear trumpet this is in the strictest sense a conversation tube.

• From the Phisick collection