Observations of external ear--an Indian study.

Somatoscopy of the external ear provides a general idea of the shape of an ear, form of the helix, presence (or absence) of Darwin's tubercle and of the attachment of an ear lobe to a cheek, etc. It is of great importance not only to physical anthropologists but also to plastic surgeons, physicians and forensic scientists. There is no detailed somatoscopic study of the ear morphology concerning the entire Indian subcontinent. Hence, in the present study an attempt has been made to report the frequency of various somatoscopic features of various parts of the auricle of adult males and females who live in the central region of India.