The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1903-09-08
YOU HAVE SIX EARS.
The ORGANS or HEARING ARE a
WONDERFUL SET OF MACHINES.


wonderful than most people have the
slightest idea Of II is a marvellous
collection OF instruments for receiving,
magnifylng and recording sounds or
vibrations. as the learned term them.
What you do when you speak TO q
friend IL to throw the air into vibra-
ton. Your vocal organs strike the air,
and the impulses thus caused reach the
trumpet shaped bits OF flesh and gristIe
you call ears. You have Altogether six
ears.
The flaps which are stuck on 70 each
aide Of the head are the outer ears. Be
sides thea there are the middle ears
and the inner ears. all OF which lie In
cavities in the bones Of the head. All
that the flaps do Is to collect and con
centrate the vibrating currents Of air.
- that they may strike the ear drums.
These latter are really the middle
ears. The outer ear narrows as II en-
ters the head and ends In a ring. A
membrane II stretched over this ring.
much in the same way as a piece Of
parchment IL stretched over the head
of drum.
The ear drum Is a true drum. for II
can be tightened and slackened By
means OF levers made for that purpose
The tightening and slackening are done
quite automatically to suit the various
sounds.
This IL how II is frightened: In the
middle ear are four tiny bones, the
most peculiar looking bones imagina-
bic. The biggest is a little odd shaped
bone called the mallet. II looks like a
iilliputian version OF Holsters claw.
Minute muscles are attached TO II. 80
that II may act as a lever 10 increase
OF diminish the tension Of the drum
skin. One muscle relaxes the mem
brane, another pulls Il taut.
The four bones form chain TO con
meet the drum skin OF the outer ear with
the drum skin OF the inner and 40 to
conduct the sound The next bone TO
the mallet Is the anvil, then come the
spherical bone and the stlrrup, which
looks exactly like It's namesake, but II
Is by far the most important OF the
four. by means OF this alone one can
hear, IN a fashion, even II all the others
be gone.
A bony, gristly tube Joins the ear
drum with the back OF the mouth at
the side OF the soft palate. Hence the
-four bones are always In bath OF air.
quite naked as II were. IL is owing 10
this that people who are somewhat
deaf are able TO hear better when they
listen with their mouths open.
Now we come to the inmost ear,
which is made up OF three parts. The
first one is called the vestibule, or hail,
and II has a drumhead 10 which the
chain OF little bones Is attached.
The hall leads 20 the other parts
both OF which consist OF tortuous tubes
along which the sound passes One
part Is made OF three semlclrcular
canals The other is shaped exactly as
snairs shell. All these make up "a
peculiar labyrinth, and all are com
pletely filled with curious fluid. Their
walls are lined with the soft. pulpy
nerves of hearing which communicate
with the brain. Owing 10 these com
plex and winding cavities, a great ex-
tent OF nerves Is exposed for the recep-
tion OF sound.
Now let us see what happens when
somebody says "HearT TO you.
The air is thrown into vibrations,
which spread out and out until they
touch the side OF your head. There
the fieshy flap on one side collects and
magniies the vibrations.
Down the ear funnel they pass until
they reach the membrane OF the drum
or the ear. They strike on the mem
brane, which adapts itself to them
Then the vibrations are communicated,
through the bones in the middle ear.
10 the membrane covering the entrance
90 the labyrinth
III you keep your mouth wide open
the air vibrations pass direct 10 the
little bones. The impulses Of the air
are not interrupted by first having to
strike the membrane OF the drum that
is al the difference.
People could easily converse with
their ears scaled up. II the two
speakers each held an end OF the same
piece OF hard wood against their teeth
even the faintest whisper could DO un.
derstOOd.
You will see from this that what are
commonly called the ears are not es.
senually necessary 20 hearing, after
all.
Well, however the vibrations are re-
ceiyed, they finally strike against the
membrane covering the entrance TO the
hall OF the labyrinth. Thence they
make the fluid which fills the labyrinth
yibrnte. These vibrations act on the
nbers OF the auditory nerve. the fibers
which coat the inner ear. Along this
nerve the impressions are communicate
ed to the brain. In this manner the
sensation NJ sound is produced, and
you know that somebody said 'IIear"
60 you.
The Tepid bath.
A lonld hnih III nhnnI 90 dnrrnna