Microsystems: The ear

Reliefs before points

The auricle has a constant, palpable relief, and it is the reference any cartography rests on. Learning the visible anatomy first lets you then use any school without depending on one particular manual's drawing.

Helix

The curved outer rim of the auricle

Antihelix

The inner Y-shaped ridge running parallel to the helix

Concha

The central hollow, divided by the crus of the helix

Tragus and antitragus

The two prominences framing the canal entrance

Lobule

The lower part, with no cartilage

Common mistake: Memorizing points on a drawing before recognizing the reliefs on a real ear. No ear looks as much like the drawing as you expect.

Each relief with its description

What is the inverted-fetus model for?

1. Locating a point with millimeter precision
2. Demonstrating the embryological origin of the correspondence
3. Remembering the general orientation of the map
4. Choosing between the Chinese and the European school

An area of the ear is redder and tender to pressure. What can you assert?

1. That the corresponding organ is affected
2. That there is stagnation in that area's meridian
3. That it should be treated there before anywhere else
4. Nothing about any organ: it is a local finding, not a diagnosis

Tap the antihelix: the inner Y-shaped ridge, parallel to the outer rim.

1. The helix, the curved outer rim
2. The antihelix
3. The concha, the central hollow
4. The tragus, in front of the canal
5. The lobule, without cartilage

A manual describes an area “on the ear” without saying which one. What is missing?

1. The size of the area
2. Whether it is treated with a needle or a seed
3. Which side: laterality is not assumed in these systems
4. Nothing: the ear is symmetrical