As you can see in the human ear diagram, it is designed in such a way that it captures the maximum auditory stimuli from the atmosphere and transfers them to the brain for translating into hearing response. Three major parts of a human ear are the outer, middle and inner respectively, each having its own functions, anatomy and ear diseases as well.
The external ear anatomy is the study of the parts of the outer ear. There are two major parts of the external ear, i.e. the pinna and the external acoustic meatus. Pinna or the auricle lies externally and its main job is to capture the sound waves and transmit them to the external acoustic meatus. Most of the framework of the auricle is cartilaginous in nature. Here lobule is the only structure which does not have the support of cartilage.
The external acoustic meatus, on the other hand, is a tube like structure that extends from the middle hollow depression or concha of the auricle. At the other end, it reaches the tympanic membrane. It has a cartilaginous structure and gets the bony support from the temporal bone. The branches of vagus and mandibular nerves provide sensory innervation to this particular part of your external ear.
Do you know if the external acoustic meatus travel in the straight path? Well, this is not the case. In fact, it has got an S-shaped path.
⇛ Link between Cold and Dumbness: Do you know about one of the amazing ear facts that there is a connection between the middle ear and the throat? This connection develops through a tube, i.e. the Eustachian tube. This is the very reason behind your going dumb every time you catch cold. The main function of the tube is to equalize the pressure between the atmosphere and the body.
⇛ Disturbance in Equilibrium: At higher pressures, and on mountain tops, it is common for people to go dumb. Meanwhile, they experience a disturbing feeling in their ears. It is because the Eustachian tube is unable to maintain equilibrium in body pressure.
⇛ Strength of Temporal Bone: According to the opinion of many people, femur is the hardest, longest and strongest bone in human body. But it does mean that the temporal bone is less in strength, i.e. it is equally hard and strong.
⇛ Remove Wax & Damage The Ear: Ear produces its own wax to protect itself from friction and dust. So, if you make frequent attempt to remove this wax, it may damage the tympanic membrane in the ears causing deafness.
Do you know exactly how the ear works? The sound waves that strike at the ear drum set it on vibration. This vibration then travels to the three small bones of the middle ear, (the malleus, stapes and incus). The bones of the middle ear, on the other hand, make specific movements and hit at the oval window.
Different parts of the ear and their functions are very important for hearing. The vestibular window separates the middle ear from the inner ear. The inner ear is also termed as cochlea, which is a dual membrane delicate structure, with fluids filled between the membranes and lined with hair cells. The movement of the hair cells that line cochlea, in response to the sound waves, is like that of grasses in the meadows. It serves to sends electrical impulses to the brain, i.e. the master organ, that accurately identifies the sounds we hear.
