This gentleman thought he had wax in his ears so poked around with a cotton bud.

after cutting both canals he sought our advice as to why he wasn't hearing.

- it turned out he had perforated his ear drum. this is the less gory photo!

A nice clear healthy ear drum. note the tiny capilliaries that feed the ear drum.

The 'Hammer' or 'Malleus' is clearly visible. its the white-ish thing that looks a bit like Italy, coming down from the top of the eardrum.

You can also see the 'Incus' or the 'Anvil' as it is more commonly known to the right and behind the malleus.

Don't poke it - it's only 3 cells thick!