Over the last 10 years, 6170 colonoscopies have been performed at the Medical Department of the University of Erlangen. On the basis of these examinations, an overview, largely tabular in form, of the developments in the endoscopy of the lower gastrointestinal tract is presented. An assessment of the individual results obtained has intentionally not been undertaken. Present possibilities and requirements are presented by the diagnostic and therapeutic tasks and the solutions thus far employed.