AOM= Acute Otitis Media
In general the middle ear is supposed to be pneumatized constantly to the pharyngeal area via the eustachian tubes. Blockage of this pathway will cause a SOM (Serous Otitis Media). Classicaly described as a "dull tymapnic membrane with reduced motion". So from this we can understand that fluid is not a normal component of the middle ear. (Inner ear and endolymph is an entirely different story...)
AOM is more because of bacterial infection (Strep. pneumonia, Haemophilus influenza b, Moraxella catarhallis are the main culprits).
Puncturing the ear drum is a procedure done to evacuate pus from the middle ear, excess pus can "eat away" at the ossicles and other connective tissue components of the middle ear. Such a therapeutic puncture usually heals itself.
In cases of other tympanic membrane punctures you can close the perforation by a procedure called tympanoplasty, where the surgeon approaches the middle ear canal medially to the tympanic membrane and plants a piece of fascia, usually obtained from temporal muscle. It's a very nice procedure!
As for cigarette paper- I dunno- maybe that's something historic or something I just don't know about- either way I would like to read about it if you could add the books name.