an endoscope includes in a viewing head of its insertable section into a cavity of a living body an image sensor for generating a video signal which in turn is transmitted to a television display to be visualized thereon as a television picture . a manual control section of the endoscope according to the present invention comprises a connector section connected to the rear end of the insertable section on one and same axial line and a grip section . the center axis of which is inclined at an angle θ to the center axis of the connector section , being grasped at least with a third finger and a little finger , the connector section and the grip section forming a generally pistol shape . as the result , the manual control section is formed into a generally pistol shape , whereby control buttons for air and water supply and for suction can be provided at a position corresponding to a trigger portion , so that the handling of the control buttons can be facilitated . in consequence , even if the endoscope is used for a long period of time , the fatigue of the operator remains low .