The invention relates to a medical instrument having a hollow shaft on whose proximal end is positioned a handle consisting of at least two gripping members and on whose distal end there is a tool consisting of at least two jaw members, where at least one jaw member of the tool can be displaced with respect to the at least one other jaw member of the tool by means of a rotatably configured gripping member of the handle for opening and closing and the at least one displaceable jaw member and the corresponding gripping member of the handle serving to displace the jaw member are connected to one another by means of a push-pull rod that is mounted so that it can slide axially in the hollow shaft. In order also to reach operating areas located outside the instrument's longitudinal axis safely and with precision, it is proposed with the invention that the push-pull rod, which is mounted so that it can slide axially in the hollow shaft, can be moved by at least one spiral-shaped guide track into a rotary motion around its longitudinal axis.