Synonyms
Ears, earache Medical: auris
Introduction
The system ear hearing consists of two parts (peripheral and central). The peripheral part includes the pinna with the outer ear canal, the middle and inner ear (labyrinth) and the 8th cranial nerve (vestibulocochlear nerve), which transmits all information from the ear to the brain. The central part includes the auditory and vestibular pathways. These are connections of nerves that originate in the organ of hearing and balance and from there run over long distances and intermediate stations to their destination, the brain. From a functional point of view, the ear is divided into an outer ear with a pinna and external auditory canal, the middle ear with eardrum, auditory trumpet, tympanic cavity and ventilated spaces, and the inner ear (labyrinth) with the hearing and balance apparatus.
The auricle
The auricle in the ear is one of the peculiarities of every human being. No two auricles are the same and you can find a variety of shapes (flat ears, protruding ears, grown earlobes, etc.) Except for the earlobe, the auricle is formed by elastic cartilage and covered by skin.
Protruding wrinkles and indentations are described by various Greek terms (tragus and antitragus, helix and antehelix, crura anthelices, cavum conchae). The auricle has the function of capturing sound. Many animals can even align their ears to the sound source.
Even we humans could do this theoretically, if the small control muscles in the ear were not atrophied. However, some people can still wiggle their ears today.
- Outer ear
- Eardrum
- Organ of equilibrium
- Auditory nerve (acoustic nerve)
- Tube
- Mastoid process (mastoid)
- Helix
- Antihelix
- Tragus
- Antitragus
The external auditory canal
The external auditory canal (Meatus acusticus externus) connects the auricle with the eardrum. It consists of an approximately 3 cm long and 6 mm wide duct, which is made of cartilage on the outside and bone on the inside. Cartilaginous and bony parts are bent against each other.
This prevents foreign bodies from directly damaging the eardrum. To ensure that the doctor can still obtain a good view of the eardrum with an otoscope, he pulls our auricle slightly backwards. The external auditory canal is lined with hair and sebaceous glands, the liquid (secretion) of which, together with exfoliated horn parts from the skin, forms the earwax (cerumen). Narrow auditory canals prevent the earwax from being transported outside and can cause hearing loss More anatomical details can also be found under our topic: Outer ear
