Our Journey – History from 1945
Our Path to the Future
Even a partial list of significant inventions and innovations achieved by KARL STORZ in the past seven decades reveals an extensive and impressive chronology of success – a success story that demands to be carried into the future.
Medicine will have to face many new challenges not only in combating disease but also in terms of increasingly cost-intensive therapies. It is now more important than ever to find the right Solutions and convert these into products that meet medical interests without compromising their financial viability. KARL STORZ has proved more than once that it is in a position to meet these challenges. Medical practitioners from around the world can continue to place their trust in innovative solutions from Tuttlingen.
1945
Karl Storz establishes his company in Tuttlingen at the age of 34. The product range initially includes instruments, headlights and binocular loupes for otorhinolaryngology.
1952
Instrument set for bronchoscopy is modernized and accessories, e.g., for optical biopsies, are added. This marks the beginning of endoscopy at KARL STORZ; the first endoscopes with a traditional lens system were developed and produced by Karl Storz in the early 1950s.
1955
CLAR55 forehead lamp with 55 mm concave reflector and tungsten bulb – presented for the first time in 1955 at the ENT Congress in Constance and still the best selling model among “warm light” forehead lamps to this day.
1956
The first extracorporeal electron flash device allows endoscopic photography in unprecedented quality.
1960
The development of the cold light source marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the company and endoscopy.
1962
First flexible gastroscope "Universal" with cold-light mirror Illumination
1962
Laparoscopy starts to be used in internal medicine.