Anatomy study note · Head and neck

External ear

The auricle (pinna) and the external auditory meatus, which collect sound waves and conduct them to the tympanic membrane.

Key points

• Auricle (elastic cartilage) + external meatus.
• Meatus: outer 1/3 cartilage, inner 2/3 bone.
• Nerves: great auricular, lesser occipital, auriculotemporal, vagus (auricular branch).
• Auricle: hillocks of 1st + 2nd arches.
• Meatus: 1st ectodermal cleft.
• Auricle: elastic cartilage + skin.
• Ceruminous glands = modified sweat glands.

The full note in the atlas also covers

Features · Nerve supply · Lymph drainage · Histology · Development

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Written from

• Snell’s Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed., ch. 12, PDF pp. 1698–1701
• Inderbir Singh’s Human Embryology, ch. 9, PDF p. 126; ch. 11, PDF pp. 152–153; ch. 19, PDF pp. 367–368
• BRS Cell Biology & Histology, 7th ed., ch. 7, PDF pp. 117, 120; ch. 21, PDF p. 389

More from the head and neck

• External jugular vein
• External nose
• Eyelids and conjunctiva
• Facial bones of the orbit and nasal cavity
• Facial nerve
• Frontal bone
• Frontal lobe
• Genioglossus
• Geniohyoid
• Glossopharyngeal nerve
• Hippocampus
• Hyoglossus

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