The Probert Encyclopaedia of Medicine

TYMPANIC MEMBRANE

The tympanic membrane (ear drum) is a thin semitransparent, oval-shaped membrane, set in the auditory canal. It has a stiff rim and a concave outer surface. It is quite small and is often called the 'ear drum' because it resembles the skin stretched across a drum. Sounds in the ear canal cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate with complex patterns. It is attached to the malleus, the first of the middle ear's three bones. The tympanic membrane's vibrations move the malleus, which in turn moves the incus. The incus then moves the stapes which is attached to the oval window.
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