A surgical cutting instrument essentially comprises an outer sheath tube, an inner stationary tube which is disposed within said outer sheath tube such that the distal end of the inner tube projects from the distal end of the outer sheath tube and is provided with a cutting opening for drawing cut tissue chips at the peripheral wall of the distal end of the inner tube and a sliding member which is slidably disposed between said outer sheath tube and said inner tube so as to open and close said cutting opening and is provided with an outer cutting edge which engages an inner cutting edge of said cutting opening, on the distal end edge of the sliding member, whereby a body tissue is cut by axially and slidingly reciprocating said sliding member to open and close said cutting opening and cut tissue chips are withdrawn from the body by suction through a suction channel of the inner tube.
