Tympanic membrane retraction caused by erosion of the ossicles (hearing bones). Discharge from the ear often indicates that the retraction pocket has developed into a cholesteatoma. Three factors must occur for the tympanic membrane to become retracted: When gas pressure within the middle ear is less than atmospheric pressure, the eardrum can become sucked into the middle ear space. This is caused by inadequate opening of the Eustachian tube and absorption of air from the middle ear space. People with a patulous Eustachian tube may also cause negative middle ear pressure by repeatedly sniffing to try to keep their Eustachian tube closed. The
Common name in English, including “stone curlews”, so the choice of the name “thick-knees” is not easy to defend but is a clear illustration of the hazards of the facile coinage of terminology. For collective nouns for various subjects see a list of collective nouns (e.g. a flock of sheep, pack of wolves) Some organizations have created official lists of common names, or guidelines for creating common names, hoping to standardize the use of common names. For example, the Australian Fish Names List or AFNS was compiled through a process involving work by taxonomic and seafood industry experts, drafted using the CAAB