Both of Störck's parents died when he was young, and he spent his early years as an orphan in a Viennese poorhouse.

He studied medicine under Gerard van Swieten and received his medical doctorate from the University of Vienna in 1757.

His studies are considered to be the pioneering work of experimental pharmacology and his method can be regarded as forming a blueprint for the clinical trials of modern medicine.

His experiments with these plants involved a three-step process; initially used on animals, followed by a personal trial, and finally given to his patients, all the while maintaining a "sliding-scale" approach to determine the optimum dosage.

Störck's numerous Latin medical tracts, detailing his experiments into the therapeutic effects of poisonous plants, excited great interest and were translated into German, French, English, Dutch and Portuguese, rapidly becoming influential medical texts throughout Europe.