Ears

Ears are specialized organs in the body which serve the following two functions:

Hearing: The eardrums start vibrating when sound waves enter the ears. Three tiny bones, otherwise known as ossicles, transfer these vibrations to the oval window. This oval window is a membrane located at the entrance of the inner ear.

Balance: The ears, eyes and nerve receptors around the joints altogether help the body in achieving balance. The brain receives information from these and processes them, to get an idea of the increase or decrease in speed and the change in direction of the head.

The ear is a canal or conduit which transfers sound from the external world to the brain, for it to process them and facilitate the communication between an individual and the external world. The ear has a complex structure which can be divided into three parts namely:

Outer ear: This auricle (basically the structure which we refer to as ear in common language) and a canal originating from it inwards are parts of the outer ear. This part helps in the transfer of sound waves and protects the delicate parts inside. It’s lined with hair and ear-wax.

Middle Ear: The three tiny bones known as the ossicles transfer sound waves from the eardrum towards the inner ear. It’s a tricky area as it has several airspaces which make it easy for infectious pathogens to get inside the body.

Inner ear: An inner ears’ structure resembles a maze. Inside this maze is the cochlea, which contains the main hearing organ, called the Organ of Corti, which traces the sound and transfers the information to the brain through cochlear nerves.