The ear

The ears are responsible for collecting,processing and sending sound signals to the brain.The other important function of the ear is balance.The ear is made up of three different sections all working together simultaneously to provide sound diagnosis and balance.

The outer ear
Consisting of the pinna,ear canal and surface of the ear drum.The pinna is the part of the ear on the side of the head.,which is in fact not vital for the process of hearing.The ear canal however is very important.If the canal is not open,hearing will be greatly impaired.Ear wax is produced here by the glands in the skin of the outer portion of the canal.Ear wax contains chemicals that fight off infections and collects dirt to keep the ear canal clean.The surface of the ear drum is a tympanic membrane.

The middle ear
The middle ear ia an air-filled cavity including the three most tiniest bones in the body.These are the malleus,the incus and the stapes.After sound waves enter the outer ear ,they travel through the ear canal to the middle ear.The middle ear then in turn takes these sound waves,turning them into vibrations for the inner ear to decipher.On reaching the ear drum the sound waves force the ear drum to vibrate bringing the ear bones into action.These bones push the vibrations down to the inner ear.

The inner ear
Consists of the cochlea,the vestibule and semi circular canals.Sound enters the inner ear as vibrations and hit’s the cochlea.Filled with liquid this curled tube in the inner ear is set in motion like a wave when the ossicles vibrate.The cochlea is also lined with tiny hairs.The vibrations cause the hairs to move,creating nerve signals that are sent to brain and deciphered into sound.