In a medical instrument for insertion into an examination subject, as well
as a medical examination device or treatment device employing such an
instrument, the instrument has an elongated instrument body formed by a
number of successively arranged rigid sections, with respective,
successive sections being connected to one another via articulated joints
which can be angled relative to one another. At least one optical fiber
supplied with light is conducted along the instrument body, and at least
one fiber Bragg grating is fashioned in the optical fiber in a region
adjacent to a joint which is deformed to a degree corresponding to angling
of the adjacent sections to the joint, thereby modulating the light in the
optical fiber.