Aural exostoses (surfer's ear) provide vital fossil evidence of an aquatic phase in Man's early evolution
| Autor: | Cameron M, Rhys Evans Ph |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Aquatic Organisms Audiology Biology Fossil evidence Auditory canal Anthropology Physical 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine medicine otorhinolaryngologic diseases Animals Humans 0601 history and archaeology Ear canal 030223 otorhinolaryngology Exostoses Swimming Artiodactyla 060101 anthropology Arris and Gale Lecture Fossils Whales Hominidae 06 humanities and the arts General Medicine Anatomy Biological Evolution medicine.anatomical_structure Water immersion Surgery Ear Canal |
| Zdroj: | Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. 99(8) |
| ISSN: | 1478-7083 |
| Popis: | For over a century, otolaryngologists have recognised the condition of aural exostoses, but their significance and aetiology remains obscure, although they tend to be associated with frequent swimming and cold water immersion of the auditory canal. The fact that this condition is usually bilateral is predictable since both ears are immersed in water. However, why do exostoses only grow in swimmers and why do they grow in the deep bony meatus at two or three constant sites? Furthermore, from an evolutionary point of view, what is or was the purpose and function of these rather incongruous protrusions? In recent decades, paleoanthropological evidence has challenged ideas about early hominid evolution. In 1992 the senior author suggested that aural exostoses were evolved in early hominid Man for protection of the delicate tympanic membrane during swimming and diving by narrowing the ear canal in a similar fashion to other semiaquatic species. We now provide evidence for this theory and propose an aetiological explanation for the formation of exostoses. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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