Human Ear Structure and Function

The face is the index of the mind. We have four among five sense organs are there in the face. And, of course, the face is covered by the fifth sense organ skin. One of the important sense organs is the ear. It is a hearing organ. It is also used as a balance for mammals. So it is essential to learn about the internal structure of the human ear and its function in detail.

Structure of Human Ear

The structure of the ear has three parts. They are,

• Outer Ear

• Middle Ear

• Inner Ear

Outer Ear

The name itself tells that it is the external part of the ear. It has two subdivisions. They are:

• Pinna or Auricle: It is the part that is visible from the outside. It is available on the side of the head. It helps to collect all the sounds and sends them to the ear canal. It is the initial stage for the entire hearing process. The process done by Pinna is called sound isolation.

• External Auditory Canal or Tube: Simply, we call this an ear canal.

• Tympanic Membrane: It is usually known as the eardrum. It divides both the outer ear and middle ear.

Middle Ear

Ossicles: It is a small narrow air-filled cavity. It has a set of three bones that perform three different activities. The three bones are,

• Malleus

• Incus

• Stapes

This section of the middle ear is very important and sensitive too. Because it has various air spaces, it transfers signals from the inner ear to the outer ear and vice versa. Also, stapes is the smallest bone in the entire human body. Another highlight of this part is, it navigates the infections to travel into the ear.

Eustachian Tube: Another subdivision of the middle ear. It helps to equalize the air pressure between the inner and outer surfaces of the eardrum.

Inner Ear: Labyrinth is the scientific name of the inner ear. It is the main hearing organ. It performs both functions of the human ear, namely-hearing, and balancing. It has different sub-sections. They are:

The cochlea, a snail-shaped that helps in the hearing activity. The vestibule and Semicircular canals are filled with fluids like different chambers. All these bony structures maintain a balanced function.

In this way, we can explain the structure of the ear that receives sound signals from the outer ear and convert them into waves in the middle ear. Finally reaches the inner ear with the help of the brain.

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Functions

The sense organ, the ear, performs two major functions. They are hearing and balancing.

Hearing:  The major function performed by the human ear is to hear. It can be done by the eardrum. It vibrates automatically when it receives a signal of sound. The middle ear has three tiny bones, and steps are one among them. It is the smallest bone in the entire body. It passes the sound waves to the inner ear.

Balance: As we know, balancing means neutralizing the situation. Here, the ear needs to hear the sound from its inner part and respond with other sense organs and follow the rules of the cerebrum and cerebellum, which are the parts of the human brain. All the tasks should be done properly in parallel. The whole process is nothing but balancing. The internal structure of the ear also performs all their duties in a balancing way.

It is a brief explanation of the structure of the human ear and its function. It has few more parts like the oval window, incus, etc. All these can be shown in a pictorial representation.

Structure of Human Ear Diagram

The below diagram explains the simple structure of the ear in a pictorial form. These diagrams are easy to understand and can remember the parts along with their positions.

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Conclusion

Hence we understood the ear structure anatomy and its functions. As it is one of the sense organs, it is essential and helpful. We may see many people with a hearing disability. So, we should take care of our sensitive ears and make them perform their duties smoothly. It is also appreciable to have regular check-ups and cleaning like wax removal with specialists.