The new Society, which had as members national societies of clinical pathology, initially from France, the United Kingdom, Czechoslovakia, and Belgium, was governed by a House of Delegates representing its Constituent Societies, with a Bureau to serve as the Executive Committee of the House, a pattern of government which persists today.

Early in the development of the organization, at a meeting in Sheffield, England in 1948, it was agreed that the International Society should sponsor World Congresses of Pathology. The first was held in London, England, in 1951, and World Congresses have followed in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. (1954); Brussels, Belgium (1957); Madrid, Spain (1960); Mexico City, Mexico (1963); Rome, Italy (1966); Montreal, Canada (1969); Munich, West Germany (1972); Sydney, Australia (1975); Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1978); Jerusalem, Israel (1981); Tokyo, Japan (1983); Brighton, England (1985); Washington D.C., U.S.A. (1987); Florence, Italy (1989); Vancouver, Canada (1991); Acapulco, Mexico (1993); Auckland, New Zealand (1995); Versailles, France (1997 50th Anniversary); Sao Paulo, Brazil (1999); Dusseldorf, Germany (2001); and Busan, Korea (2003). Future World Congresses are planned for Istanbul, Turkey (2005), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2007), and Sydney, Australia (2009).

The title of the International Society soon gave trouble. The term Clinical Pathology had been intended to include all branches of pathology, viz., anatomical pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, microbiology and all their subspecialities. Unfortunately, in many countries the term Clinical Pathology was thought to exclude anatomical pathology, a problem which was compounded when the name was translated into languages other than English.

Because of this difficulty the name of the International Society of Clinical Pathology was changed in 1969 to the World Association of (Anatomical and Clinical) Pathology Societies - WAPS, and then revised to the World Association of Societies of Pathology (Anatomic and Clinical) - WASP. The Constitution and By-laws of the World Association were revised, to emphasize its role in representing every aspect of pathology. The name was intended to emphasize that the World Association embraces every branch of Laboratory Medicine. To extend that emphasis, the name was further changed to the World Association of Societies of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (WASPaLM) at the World Congress in 1999, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The World Association remains desirous if the term Pathology were universally accepted for what it should mean, viz. the science, specialty practice and study of disease! Remember Florence Nightingale's comment "Pathology teaches us the harm that disease causes".

What are the Constituents of WASPaLM?
At present, there are 27 Societies, Colleges or Associations in 18 countries involved with WASPaLM.

How is WASPaLM financed?
The World Association has a limited budget. Its only income comes from the small dues paid by its Constituent Societies, and from recently established Corporate Sponsorships. Serving on any of the Committees of WASPaLM requires a degree of dedication, and certainly is not a sinecure.

What does WASPaLM do?
The World Association has become increasingly active in international affairs, representing pathology at the World Health Organisation, serving on the Council of International Organisations in the Medical Sciences, and establishing relations with other international bodies.

An important aspect of the work of the World Association has been the development of a number of Categorical Secretariats and Committees, each with a Constituent Pathology Society or College taking a particular responsibility on an international footing. These include the Commission on World Standards which represents WASPaLM societies to both ISO and the World Health Organization (U.S.A., College of American Pathologists); Secretariat on Quality Assurance (Germany, Institut fur Standardisierung und Dokumentation im Medizinischen Laboratorium e. V.; Deutsche Vereinte Gesellschaft fur Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin e. V.; Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Qualitatssicherung Im Medizinischen Laboratorium e. V.; Berufsverband Deutscher Laborarzte e. V.); Secretariat on Economic Affairs (U.K.); Secretariat on Pathology in the Developing World which is sponsoring educational programs for developing countries (United Kingdom, Royal College of Pathologists); Secretariat on Forensic Pathology (Australia and New Zealand, Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia); Informatics Secretariat (U.S.A., College of American Pathologists); Secretariat on Ethics in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (New Zealand Committee, Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia) and Committees on Utilization of Laboratory Results and Qualification of Pathologists.