The ear – a wonderful organ

The outer ear

The auricle is the visible part of the ear. This is where it all starts. The outer ear consists of the auricle, the ear canal and the eardrum. Like a cone, the auricle picks up sounds and leads them through the ear canal down to the eardrum. The sound then makes the eardrum vibrate.

Close to the auricle, glands produce earwax which filters dirt and dust. This clears naturally, so please do not clean it with cotton buds, as this can on the one hand harm the sensitive skin in ear canal and on the other, push the earwax further into the canal.

The middle ear

The middle ear is an air-filled space connected to the back of the throat by a passageway. This equalizes the air pressure in the middle ear so that the eardrum can vibrate freely. These vibrations are amplified through the ossicular chain (hammer, anvil and stirrup) and passed down to the inner ear.

The inner ear

The inner ear is helical and is therefore called the cochlea, the Greek word for snail. Within the cochlea, sensory hair cells convert sound vibration into electric impulses. These are transferred through the acoustic nerve to the brain, which recognizes e.g. language, ambient noises and music. The equilibrium organ, which is responsible for orientation in space, is also located in the inner ear.