Our Founder

Karl Storz founded his company for the production of ENT instruments, headlamps and binocular loupes in 1945. This interest in medical vision, illumination, and thus physics consequently led him to specialize in endoscopes. He became fascinated with the idea of developing instruments that would enable the physician to look inside the body. However, the technology available at the time was still very limited. The area under examination in the interior of the human body was illuminated with miniature electric lamps. Alternatively, attempts were made to reflect light from an external source into the body through an endoscopic tube.

Karl Storz quickly realized that this method would not provide adequate illumination and so he resolved to find an alternative. In realizing this dream, Karl Storz benefited from two rather contradictory character traits: The unerring meticulousness of the craftsman and the imaginative power of the artist and inventor. The solution he found still holds true today: Very bright light generated by an external light source is introduced into the body through a flexible fiber optic light cable. The principle of "cold light illumination" paved the way for modern endoscopy and laid the foundation for the future success of the company KARL STORZ. With more than 400 patents and utility models, Karl Storz has played a crucial role in the development of modern endoscopy.