The International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death (ISPID) is an amalgamation of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Death ("first ISPID") and SIDS International (SIDSI). The "first ISPID" was formed in 2004 by a merger of the European Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Death (ESPID) and the SIDS Global Strategy Task Force (GSTF).

With the merger of three societies dedicated to the prevention of early death and research into its causes, it seems prudent to briefly review the history of the single societies which have now been merged.