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AMA Manual of Style (10th edition ed.) : A Guide for Authors and Editors

AMA Manual of Style Committee

Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Print Publication Date:
Mar 2007
Print ISBN-13:
9780195176339
Published to AMA Manual of Style:
Apr 2009
DOI:
10.1093/jama/9780195176339.001.0001
© American Medical Association
Contents

Eponyms and Words Derived From Proper Nouns

Chapter:
Capitalization
Author(s):

Brenda Gregoline

10.3.4 Eponyms and Words Derived From Proper Nouns

With eponyms, capitalize the proper name but not the common nouns that follow it.

Down syndrome

Trendelenburg position

Rose-Waaler test

Wada test

Most common words derived from proper nouns are not capitalized. In general, follow the current edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary or Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary (for medical terms).

arabic numerals

mendelian

brussels sprouts

parkinsonism

candidiasis

roman numerals

darwinian

schistosomiasis

india ink

Note: JAMA and the Archives Journals do not capitalize arabic and roman when referring to numerals.