In 1938 the League of Nations Health Organization published an Atlas Illustrating the Division of Cancer of the Uterine Cervix into Four Stages (edited by J. Heymann, Stockholm). Since this work appeared, the idea of visual representation of the anatom ical extent of malignant tumours at the different stages of their development has been repeatedly discussed. At its meeting in Copenhagen in July 1954, the UICC adopted as part of its programme "the realization of a clinical atlas". However, the time to publish the planned book of illustrations was not ripe until the national committees and international or ganizations had officially recognized the 28 classifications of malignant tumours at various sites as presented in the third edi tion of the TN M Booklet edited by M. Harmer (TNM Classifica tion of Malignant Tumours, 1978). This was all the more impor tant since publication of the Booklet was followed in 1980 by publication of A Brochure of Checklists, edited by A. H. Sellers, a further aid in the practical application of the TNM system. The TNM Atlas (first edition 1982, second edition 1985) was the third of the aids intended to fulfil the one ultimate purpose of making the classification of the anatomical extent of malignant tumours as much a routine procedure as histological typing and grading.
