The outer ear is the most external portion of the ear. The outer ear includes the pinna (also called auricle), the ear canal, and the very most superficial layer of the ear drum (also called the tympanic membrane). In humans, and almost all vertebrates, the only visible portion of the ear is the outer ear……..

The middle ear, an air-filled cavity behind the ear drum (tympanic membrane), includes the three ear bones or ossicles: the malleus (or hammer), incus (or anvil), and stapes (or stirrup). The opening of the Eustachian tube is also within the middle ear……

The inner ear includes both the organ of hearing (the cochlea) and a sense organ that is attuned to the effects of both gravity and motion (labyrinth or vestibular apparatus). The balance portion of the inner ear consists of three semi-circular canals and the vestibule. The inner ear is encased in the hardest bone of the body….

Get more info at the link below:

I want to preface this by saying that I am not especially knowledgeable on this topic, beyond personal experience with friends and family and the news articles I’ve read through the years. I also have a deep seated distrust of the entire medical establishment that extends to every branch so I take all this sort of thing with about a pound of salt. That being said, I’m always interested and hopeful for these sorts of treatments which encourage the body to work in its own behalf. It may be naive of me, but it seems to me if they work they are somehow more wholesome and healthful than external forces that sweep down to wreak havoc on the invader, in this case cancer. Things like chemo and radiation often take such a toll on the body that the benefits are nearly outweighed. In my mind it’s almost like a house divided, which cannot stand. The immune system is a truly astonishing mechanism and it seems to me if giving it a heads up about something that it might not otherwise recognize as a problem can kick it into its own defensive action then the entire body is bound to benefit from defending itself rather than being invaded by an outside power. (Hmm, am I talking cancer or politics here?) So I would like to be hopeful, and I am. Cautious optimism seems like a reasonable response to me. Still, lymphomas account for only something like 5% of all cancer cases, if I’m not mistaken, and the article doesn’t really make it clear whether this sort of thing might eventually work for a broader range of cancers, which have several different ways of making their attack. I don’t have a deep enough understanding of all the various permutations of cancer to make a terribly informed judgment and I have also lived long enough to remember many other “major breakthroughs” and “miracle drugs” which eventually proved to be of limited effectiveness. Interferon is a good example of that. I clearly recall it being hailed as a cancer cure and now it is simply one more tool in the box of cancer treatment, curing nothing, though aiding in treatment. There is nothing particularly wrong with that, anything that can help is worth exploring, it’s just that I am always skeptical about this sort of thing in its early stages. As a side note I would like to say that I think the use of the term vaccine is misleading. For all I know it is technically accurate but it is not how we as a society understand the term and I’m guessing it will lead to misunderstandings amongst the general public if discussion of this becomes more prevalent. Interesting question, Skylark, I’m sorry I had so little to contribute.

Human Anatomy and Physiology Web Sites

EAR

http://www.infovisual.info/03/049_en.html

http://www.getbodysmart.com/index.htm

http://www.infovisual.info/03/pano_en.html

WebAnatomy

A collection of study aids for entry-level anatomy and physiology students

http://msjensen.education.umn.edu/webanatomy/

Anatomy of the Human Body Henry Gray.

The Bartleby.com edition of Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body features 1,247 vibrant engravings—many in colour—from the classic 1918 publication, as well as a subject index with 13,000 entries ranging from the Antrum of Highmore to the Zonule of Zinn.

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/;_ylt=AsCEJkqrowKCe6irtRntROb0HYkC

http://www.bartleby.com/107/