THE EAR AND HEARING Your hearing system is active 24 hours a
day. Hearing is not a sense that you can ‘turn off’; it works on
several levels: - With our hearing we perceive background
sounds, such as traffic noise, or more relevant sounds, such as
the ringing of an alarm clock. What is generally most important,
however, is the ability to hear speech– to understand and
communicate. - Hearing allows us to distinguish among a
multitude of sounds – from the soft rustle of leaves to complex
sentences. When our hearing ability is reduced, we are no longer
able to hear sounds optimally. The ear is a complex sensory
organ that consists of three main parts: |Please Install Flash
to view this video. The Outer Ear consists of the visible
portion of the ear, called the auricle or pinna, and the ear
canal. The auricle is made of cartilage and skin. Its funnel
shape is important to sound localization (i.e. determining the
direction and source of sound). Sound is directed to the eardrum
(tympanic membrane) via the ear canal