What is the auditory ossicles?

What it is

• The tympanic cavity contains a chain of three movable ossicles, the malleus, incus, and stapes. The first is attached to the tympanic membrane, the last to the circumference of the fenestra vestibuli, the incus being placed between and connected to both by delicate articulations. The Malleus , so named from its fancied resemblance to a hammer, consists of a head, neck, and three processes, viz., the manubrium, the anterior and lateral processes.
• The head ( capitulum mallei ) is the large upper extremity of the bone; it is oval in shape, and articulates posteriorly with the incus, being free in the rest of its extent. The facet for articulation with the incus is constricted near the middle, and consists of an upper larger and lower smaller part, which form nearly a right angle with each other. Opposite the constriction the lower margin of the facet projects in the form of a process, the cog-tooth or spur of the malleus.