We have two ears- one on each side of our head. Other than helping us with hearing, ears also help us maintain the balance of our body. Our ear is divided into three parts- external ear, middle ear and inner ear.
Outer ear: Outer ear is composed of pinna, ear hole and eardrum.
- Pinna: It is a part of the outer ear. It is a flap of skin and cartilage. Its main function is to dispatch sound into the ear hole.
- Ear hole: Pinna is connected to a tube called ear hole.
- Ear drum: The ear hole ends with the eardrum. This is the last pan of external ear.
Middle ear: This is situated between the external and inner ear. It is a sack filled with air and it contains three small bones Malleus, lncus and Stapes. With the help of these bones, sound reaches the inner ear. A tube connects the ear with the back of the throat. The function of this tube is to balance the air pressures both in and outside the eardrum.
Inner ear: It is situated inside the auditory capsule bone. It is divided into two major chambers, utriculus and sacculus.
- Utriculus: This chamber consists of three semi-circular canals. Among these three canals, two are vertical and one is horizontal. They are covered with hair-like sensory nerves. These canals are filled with fluid. When the fluid is released these sensory nerves are stimulated and then, impulses are sent to the brain. The brain then sends messages to the rest of the body, thus maintaining a balance of the body.
- Sacculus: This chamber of the inner car has a coiled shell-like structure. This is known as choclea. The walls of the choclea have auditory sensitive cells. The coiled tube is filled with fluid.
Taking care of ear
Ear is our auditory organ. We can have hearing impairment it we do not take proper care of our ear. To take care of our ear we should take the following steps.
– Cleaning ears regularly.
– Being careful that water does not get into car while bathing
– Consulting a doctor if any insect or other alien bodies enter the ear.
– Avoiding listening to music in high volume.
