Question about muscle names and italics

[manyeyedhydra]

Does anyone know what the correct style is for using proper medical names of muscles? Is it italicized? Capitalized? Does it vary depending on the name of the muscle?

Which is correct?:

1. He peeled back the skin, exposing the latissimus dorsi.

2. He peeled back the skin, exposing the latissimus dorsi.

3. He peeled back the skin, exposing the Latissimus dorsi.

Thanks!

 

[goliath13]

If you are looking for what's most commonly used in publications, then you would be using option 3

 

[sr71plt]

Door number one, at least in the United States.

The term given is in Webster's (lowercased, roman).

The Chicago Manual of Style (8.143) bears this out.

When in doubt, there's usually the dictionary to provide the answer.

 

[searchingforperfection]

Might depend upon where you live

This strikes me as one of those things that might depend upon the flavor/flavour of English you use.

You are in England, so you might want to check out a British journal. I notice that Lancet does medicine, not surgery, so I don't know where to send you.

 

[sr71plt]

This strikes me as one of those things that might depend upon the flavor/flavour of English you use.

You are in England, so you might want to check out a British journal. I notice that Lancet does medicine, not surgery, so I don't know where to send you.

Orrrrrr, you could just look in the Oxford Dictionary.

There the easy button sits. Oh, say, who can see it?

 

[manyeyedhydra]

I should have specified it was for a short story, which might alter the usage slightly.

I suspected it was 1.

8.143 in CMS refers to geological terms in the edition (15th) I have, curiously enough.

I'll go with that and hope the UK version is the same. It won't be the first time I've mixed up UK spellings with US style

 

[manyeyedhydra]

Oxford dictionary has the latin origin italicized, but doesn't give a usage example. I probably need to be less of a cheapskate and subscribe for that.

 

[sr71plt]

I should have specified it was for a short story, which might alter the usage slightly.

I suspected it was 1.

8.143 in CMS refers to geological terms in the edition (15th) I have, curiously enough.

I'll go with that and hope the UK version is the same. It won't be the first time I've mixed up UK spellings with US style

There's a 16th CMS edition. That's the one I use now. 8.143 in the current edition explicitly covers anatomical parts.