Cytology is the study of the normal microscopic morphology (shape) of cells which make up the tissues of organs e.g. breast, female cervix (neck of the womb), ovary, brain, pancreas, etc. Cytopathology is the study of the abnormal morphology of cells which occurs when the tissue from where the cells originate is diseased.
Using an example of the female cervix, a Medical Practitioner will scrape the surface of the cervix and smear the material directly on to a glass slide. This cervical (pap) smear is sent to the laboratory. In the laboratory the material on the slide is stained and handed to a Cytologist for examination. The Cytologist will determine if the cells on the smear are normal. If the cells are abnormal the Cytologist will determine the diagnosis (type of abnormality) and, if necessary, recommend further management. Consultation often takes place between the Cytologist and the referring Medical Practitioner.
The colloquial term "Pap smear" is derived from the name of an American anatomist of Greek descent, George Nicolas Papanicolaou who in association with the gynaecologist Herbert Traut observed cancer of the cervix from smears in patients not suspected to have had any abnormality. In 1943 they published a book of their observations.