If we assume that in the evolution of the mammalian ear nature has made the best possible use of physical and acoustic principles, we are led further to assume (1) that the middle ear provides maximal sensitivity combined with optimal quality and (2) that the middle ear is so adjusted as to minimize noise pick-up from the speaker's body during talking. In terms consistent with these assumptions, it is possible to explain: why mammals have two vocal cords; why a bony rod lies on the eardrum; why the point of rotation of this bony rod is at the edge of the eardrum; why the mass of the ossicles appears so exaggerated; why the eardrum is conical in shape; why the membrane of the footplate of the stapes is so small; why the footplate of the stapes has an elliptical form; why a joint is necessary between the stapes and the incus; and why an animal with thin head bones has a bulla.
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Georg von Békésy (1949) studied this question.