Labyrinth Definition

The labyrinth is the internal ear, which consists of a bony part called the vestibule and semicircular canals and cochlea chiseled out in the inner wall of the temporal bone of the skull.These structures and canals contain a fluid called "perilymph" and by their arrangement in different planes give the body the sense of balance and equilibrium.

When these structures are diseased and do not function properly the person feels dizzy and cannot keep himself in the upright position very well.

Whitin the bony vestibule and bony canals are similar smaller structures made of membrane, just like the inner tube in an auto tire, except that the spaces in a tire are filled with air and in these ear structures the spaces are filled with fluid.

The fluid in the inner membranous canals is called the " endolymph". These membranous structures have the end fibers of the nerve of hearting (auditory nerve) attached and spread out all over it.

When the drum in the outer ear vibrates by air waves, the vibrations are transmitted by the little bones (ossicles) in the middle ear to the liquid (perilymph and endolymph) of the internal ear where the nerve of hearing transmits the impulses to the brain, of course