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The middle ear plays a vital role in the sense and sensitivity of hearing. Of the various characteristics that distinguish mammals from other vertebrates, several pertain to the middle-ear system such as the presence of three middle-ear bones and the four-layer composite structure of the tympanic membrane. These adaptations co-evolved with the sense organ, specifically the motility of the outer hair cells in the organ of Corti within the cochlea, to endow mammals with a unique capacity for high-frequency hearing. Reptiles, amphibians, and most fish do not hear above 5 kHz, while the upper limit of hearing in birds is 8-12 kHz. Mammals, in contrast, have upper limits of hearing ranging from 10 kHz (elephants) to 90 kHz (wild mouse) and even higher for echolocating animals. It is well established that high-frequency hearing evolved in mammals as a means to localize sound. While a significant number of publications elucidate the role of the cochlea on hearing, a parallel effort to underst
List of contents
1. The Middle Ear: Science and Applications Sunil Puria.- 2. The Evolution and Development of Middle Ears in Land Vertebrates Geoffrey A. Manley and Ulrike J. Sienknecht.- 3. Comparative Middle-Ear Structure and Function in Vertebrates John J. Rosowski.- 4. Function and Acoustics of the Normal and Diseased Middle Ear Susan E. Voss, Hideko Heidi Nakajima, and Alexander M. Huber.- 5. Quasi-Static Pressures in the Middle-Ear Cleft Joris J. J. Dirckx, Yael Marcusohn, and Michael L. Gaihede.- 6. Bone Conduction and the Middle Ear Stefan Stenfelt.- 7. Modeling of Middle-Ear Mechanics W. Robert J. Funnell, Nima Maftoon, and Willem F. Decraemer.- 8. Diagnostic Measurements and Imaging Technologies for the Middle Ear Gerald R. Popelka and Lisa L. Hunter.- 9. Surgical Reconstruction and Passive Prostheses Saumil N. Merchant and John J. Rosowski .- 10. Middle-Ear Hearing Devices Sunil Puria.
Summary
The middle ear plays a vital role in the sense and sensitivity of hearing. Of the various characteristics that distinguish mammals from other vertebrates, several pertain specifically to the middle-ear system, such as the presence of three middle-ear bones and the four-layer composite structure of the tympanic membrane. The Middle Ear attempts to elucidate the role this system plays in sound transmission, as viewed from both scientific and clinical perspectives.
