Mikrokosmographia a description of the body of man. Together vvith the controuersies thereto belonging. Collected and translated out of all the best authors of anatomy, especially out of Gasper Bauhinus and Andreas Laurentius. By Helkiah Crooke Doctor of Physicke, physitian to His Maiestie, and his Highnesse professor in anatomy and chyrurgerie. Published by the Kings Maiesties especiall direction and warrant according to the first integrity, as it was originally written by the author.

CHAP. XIIII. Of the Gristle of the Eare.

THe substance of the outward Eare is neither bony nor fleshy [the interior face of the Eare flayed is exhibited in the first Figure of the sixt Table] but of a middle na∣ture betwixt both, for if it had bene bony it must haue bene of a thinne bone or of a thick. If it had bene made of a thin bone, saith Aristotle in the ninth chapter of his second booke.

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Table 6. Figure 1. Sheweth the fore-face of the out∣ward Eare without the skin.

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Figure 2. sheweth a ligament of the outward Eare whereby it is tyed to the Skull.

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Figure 3. The stony processe being broken sheweth the first cauity and the holes thereof.

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Figure 4. & 5. shew the Labyrinth, the Snayly shell called Cochlea, two windowes and three semi∣circles.

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TABVLA. VIII.

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FIG. I.

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FIG. II.

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FIG. III.

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FIG. IV.

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FIG. V.

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Fig. 1. & 2.

• AA, The outward eare depressed.
• B, The hind part of the outward eare.
• CCC, The circumscription of the whole ligamēt.
• D, a part of the yoke-bone.
• EEE, parts of the scull.

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Fig. 3. 4. & 5.

• F 3, 4, 5, the Ouall hole or the window of the laby∣rinth, in the 4. figure it is broken.
• G 3, 4, The window of the snayly shell or the win∣ding hole.
• H 3, The watercourse or darke hole betwixt the mammillary processe and appendix called Styloi∣des.
• I 3, The Mammillary processe.
• K 3, The cauity going vnto the mammillary pro∣cesse whose outward face is all spongy.
• L 3. The interior face.
• M 3, The knub of the nowle-bone inarticulated or ioyned to the first rack-bone of the necke.
• V 3, The hole of the first payre of nerues of the in∣ternall Iugular veine. &c.
• NNN 4, 5, The semicircles.
• O 4, 5, The inner face of the snayly shell called co∣chlea.

de partibus Animalium, then would it easily haue bene broken. If it had beene made of a * 1.1 thicke and solide bone it would haue beene a burthen to the head, and beside would not haue yeelded to outward occurrents. Againe, if it had beene as soft as flesh it would haue fallen into itselfe and haue beene vtterly vnfit to haue made those cauityes, protuberati∣ons, furrowes and such like which in the eare are very necessary: neither would it haue re∣ceiued the sound which must be returned from a hard body, and so the ingresse of the aire would haue bene hindered.

It was made therefore of a substance moderately soft and moderately hard, that by reason of the softnesse it might be bent on euery side and giue way to the opposition of * 1.2 whatsoeuer doth light against it, that so it might neither be subiect to contusion nor brea∣king. Againe, the moderate hardnesse thereof makes it fitter to be stretched, to stand vp∣right, & to be alwayes open, that the ayre together with the sound might euermore gather into it; for saith Cicero in his 2. booke de natura Deorum, when we are a sleep we haue need * 1.3 of this sense that we might be waked. Moreouer, the hardnesse makes it fit to receiue the cauities and furrowes which are therein, and whereby the sounds are retayned that they passe not the hole of hearing. Yea whilest the sound runneth through those cauityes, Ari∣stotle saith, it gathereth strength, and by the refraction is after a sort modulated or tuned and so commeth more welcome to the Tympane.

Finally, because it is moderately hard it yeeldeth also a sound and so the voyce or noyse * 1.4 is better receiued, and as it were, formed without any eccho or singing, or other noise like the fall of waters which happeneth to those Scythians of whom wee made mention euen now, who when their eares are rotted off doe apply hollow shels of Scallops or such like behind the holes of their eares.

Wherefore it consisteth of one gristle [Tab. 4. fig 1.] and that flexible, couered ouer with * 1.5 a thin skin which cleaueth close vnto it. This gristle proceedeth as it were out of the tem∣ples and standeth a loofe from them more or lesse. For the first originall of this grystle is from the orbe [Tab. 3. lib. 7. fig 9. y.] of the hole of hearing which is boared in the temple bone, and exasperated or made rough in the circumference that the gristle might better a∣rise therfrom. At the very original it is thicker & harder; thicker that the root therof might be more firme; & harder because of the neighbourhood of the temple bone from whence it proceedeth; and by how much it standeth further of from the bone of the head by so much it becommeth the softer and the thinner.

This gristle is also tyed to the stony bone by a strong ligament [Tab. 8. fig. 2 CCC.] which arisieth with many propagations from the Pericranium where it tendeth toward the * 1.6 mammillary processe. These propagations when they haue attained to the eare, doe all ioyne into one ligament, which is inserted into the vpper and gibbous part of the eare, to suspend or hang the gristle streight vpward. This gristle is opposed or set against the hole of hearing that the passage thereof might be larger and more extended into the hol∣lownesse of the gristle, by which meanes the sound is as it were scouped vp.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Why not bo∣ny,
• * 1.2

  Why mode∣rately soft.
• * 1.3

  Cicero.
• * 1.4

  Why mode∣ratelie hard
• * 1.5

  The originall of the carti∣lage.
• * 1.6

  The ligament