The Structure of the ear:

The human ear has two sensory functions – It enables hearing and maintains body balance. It can be divided into three main categories – inner ear, outer ear, middle ear.

1. The inner ear – Also known as the labyrinth, is divided into membranous and bony labyrinth labels. The memory labyrinth is full of endolymph while the bony labyrinth is full of perilymph.

The Membranous labyrinth is divided into two parts – the operating machinery and the cochlea. The vestibular apparatus consists of three circular grooves and an otolith.

The utricle and saccule have a projecting ridge known as a macula. Macula and crista are the only vestibular shaped findings that play a role in maintaining body shape and balance.

The Sacculus has a combined long-term output – the cochlea which is a large three-segmented sensory structure. The auditory organ, the cortial organ, is located in the basilar membrane of hair cells.

2. Outer ear – Has a pinna and an external auditory canal. The pin collects vibrations in the air that produce sound. The external auditory canal reaches the eardrum. It has very fine hairs, waxes that hide the wax on the skin of meatus and pinna. The tympanic membrane consists of connective tissue covered by mucous membranes inside and outside the skin.

3. The middle ear – Contains three ossicles known as malleus, stapes and incus connected to each other by a chain pattern. The malleus is connected to the tympanic membrane and the stems are connected to the oval window of the cochlea. The ear ossicles increase the efficiency of the transmission of sound waves to the inner ear. The middle ear canal is connected to the pharynx using a Eustachian tube that helps balance pressure on both sides of the eardrum.