Capitalize Body Parts Named for Persons
Capitalization
Rulebase Summary
Capitalize body parts, anatomical structures, and similar terms that have been named after anatomists, physicians, scientists, or mythological characters. The proper-noun portion retains its capital even when it appears within a compound anatomical term.
Examples
A. The doctor said I had a torn achilles tendon.
A. The doctor said I had a torn Achilles tendon.
Achilles is a proper name — capitalize it even in a compound anatomical term.
A. The MRI showed a lesion near the fissure of rolando.
A. The MRI showed a lesion near the fissure of Rolando.
Rolando is a proper name for the anatomist who described this fissure — capitalize it.
Transcript Notes
Capitalize the parts of the body that have been named for anatomists, physicians, scientists, or mythological characters (the fissure of Rolando, the fissure of Sylvius, the foramina Thebesii, the Achilles tendon). The proper-name portion is the trigger — anatomical structures named after people retain those capitals.
Style Guide References (1)
Morson's