A handling device for a micro-invasive surgical instrument includes a gripping device to manually hold and guide the handling device, a shaft coupling to detachably mechanically couple the handling device with a proximal end of a shaft, a rod coupling that can slide inside the handling device for detachable mechanical coupling with a proximal end of a transmission rod that can be slid inside a shaft coupled with the shaft coupling, and an orientation device to rotate a proximal end of a transmission rod, which has been inserted into the handling device, into a predetermined orientation or into one of several predetermined orientations.
