[Beginnings of endoscopy]

At the beginning of the 19. century emphasis was put on the research for possibilities to get a look into the interior of the abdominal cavity. The "body-cavity" which seemed to be most easily to access was the bladder and thus the development of the endoscopy is practically identical with the elaboration of the cytoscopy. This survey shows the starting phases as well as the further developement of the endoscopy as oesophagus-, gastro- and proctoscopy, the application on the gynaecological sector and the beginning of the laryngoscopy by Czermak and Türck in 1885, although already before their experiments in London in 1829 an instrument being similar to the laryngoscope was described by Babington.