Care of The Ears

Ear functions as an organ of hearing and equilibrium. Its receptors typically respond when they are bent, hence called mechanoreceptors, Ear consists of three parts: external, middle and internal. The external ear comprises pinna and auditory canal. The pinna receives and funnels the sound waves into the auditory canal, causing vibrations in the tympanic membranes.The middle ear have tree tiny ear ossicles: malleus, incus and stapes, which transmit vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the internal ear and also amplify them. The internal ear, called membranous labyrinth, comprises three parts: vestibule, semicircular ducts and cochlear ducts. It is filled with a fluid, the endolymph. The vestibule further consists of two chambers: large utricle and small saccule, each having a sensory spot, the macula. The semicircular ducts open into the urticle by both the ends. One end of the each duct is enlarged to form an ampulla. Each ampulla has a sensory spot named crista. The cochlear duct has on its floor an organ of hearing called organ of corti.

Movements of the ear ossicles causes pressure changes in the fluid in the cochlear ducts, which in turn causes the basilar membrane to vibrate. Movement of the basilar membrane moves the “hair” of the receptor cells of the organs of corti against the tectorial membrane. With this stimulation, the receptor cells set up nerve impulses that are carried to the brain for interpretation as sound. The pitch of the sound is perceived by the position of the phonoreceptors in the cochlear duct. The loudness of the sound is encoded in the frequency of action potentials and the number of phonoreceptors stimulated.

Following are the precautions that are necessary for safety of the eras:

1.      Do not probe the external ear canal with hard objects, such as tooth picks, pencils, match sticks, hairpins, as these can injure the delicate ear drum. Injury to ear drum may cause infections and even deafness.

2.      Wax in the external ear canal protects the ear drum from dying up, scaling and damage by water while bathing or swimming. Excess wax collected in the ear should be got removed by a physician, and nerve by a roadside quacks. The latter may injury the ear drum.

3.      Accumulation of dirt along with wax may form a hard plug, causing earache, boil or even temporary deafness. Physician’s help should be taken to remove such a plug.

4.      Foreign objects, such as live insects, may sometimes get into ear. These should be got removed by the physician. A live insect is very troublesome. It may be quietened by dropping some light mineral oil into ear till it can be removed.

5.      During Cold and tonsillitis, infection may extend to middle ear, causing deafness. Therefore, cold and respiratory infections should be promptly attended to.

6.      Blowing the nose too hard during cold may force mucus containing infectious organisms into the Eustachian tubes.