Days of the Week, Months, Eras

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Generally, days of the week and months are not abbreviated.

The manuscript was received at JAMA’s editorial offices in late December 2004 and accepted for publication on January 5, 2005, after expedited peer review, revision, and discussion among the editors. Because of the importance of its topic, the article was published 3 weeks later, on Wednesday, January 26, 2005, as a JAMA-EXPRESS.

In tables and figures, the following 3-letter abbreviations for days of the weeks and months may be used to conserve space (see 4.1, Visual Presentation of Data, Tables; and 4.2, Visual Presentation of Data, Figures):

Occasionally, scientific manuscripts may contain discussion of eras. Abbreviations for eras are set in small capitals with no punctuation. Numerals are used for years and words for the first through ninth centuries. The more commonly used era designations are ad (anno Domini, in the year of the Lord), bc (before Christ), ce (common era), and bce (before the common era). ce and bce are equivalent to ad and bc, respectively. In formal usage, the abbreviation ad precedes the year number, and bc, ce, and bce follow it.

William Withering was the first to report extensively, in the late 18th century, on the use of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) for the treatment of dropsy (generalized edema).

Hippocrates, a prominent Greek medical practitioner and teacher of the fourth century bce, has come to personify the ideal physician.

The prevalence of tuberculosis is thought to have increased greatly during the Middle Ages (roughly ad 500–1500), possibly because of the growth of towns across Europe.

Cuneiform was probably invented by the Sumerians before 3000 bc.