The MeSH® Tree Structures
Printer-friendly Version
MeSH headings are organized in a "tree" with 16 main branches:
A. Anatomy
B. Organisms
C. Diseases
D. Chemical and Drugs
E. Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment
F. Psychiatry and Psychology
G. Biological Sciences
H. Physical Sciences
I. Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena
J. Technology and Food and Beverages
K. Humanities
L. Information Science
M. Persons
N. Health Care
V. Publication Characteristics
Z. Geographic Locations
Each branch has many levels of sub-branches, and each heading has a position in the hierarchy.
| Anatomy Body Regions Back Lumbosacral Region Sacrococcygeal Region |
Some terms appear in more than one branch of the tree.
Anatomy
|
Anatomy |
The hierarchy allows a MEDLINE/PubMed search of a broader term to include the narrower terms in all branches automatically. This is known as “exploding.”
- Subheadings are arranged in logical hierarchical groupings (families).
- Not all subheadings are placed in these groupings as they do not logically fit.
