The following is a list of the codes for MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), a comprehensive controlled vocabulary for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences; it can also serve as a thesaurus that facilitates searching. It is a product of the United States National Library of Medicine. Click on the prefixes (A01 etc.) in the list below to see detailed codes.
The source for content is from the 2006 MeSH Trees.
A – Anatomy
A01 – body regions (74 articles)
A02 – musculoskeletal system (213 articles)
A03 – digestive system (98 articles)
A04 – respiratory system (46 articles)
A05 – urogenital system (87 articles)
A06 – endocrine system
A07 – cardiovascular system
A08 – nervous system
A09 – sense organs
A10 – tissues
A11 – cells
A12 – fluids and secretions
A13 – animal structures
A14 – stomatognathic system
A15 – hemic and immune systems
A16 – embryonic structures
A17 – integumentary system
B – Organisms
B01 – animals
B02 – algae
B03 – bacteria
B04 – viruses
B05 – fungi
B06 – plants
B07 – archaea
B08 – mesomycetozoea
C – Diseases
C01 – bacterial infections and mycoses
C02 – virus diseases
C03 – parasitic diseases
C04 – neoplasms
C05 – musculoskeletal diseases
C06 – digestive system diseases
C07 – stomatognathic diseases
C08 – respiratory tract diseases
C09 – otorhinolaryngologic diseases
C10 – nervous system diseases
C11 – eye diseases
C12 – urologic and male genital diseases
C13 – female genital diseases and pregnancy complications
C14 – cardiovascular diseases
C15 – hemic and lymphatic diseases
C16 – congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases and abnormalities
C17 – skin and connective tissue diseases
C18 – nutritional and metabolic diseases
C19 – endocrine system diseases
C20 – immune system diseases
C21 – disorders of environmental origin
C22 – animal diseases
C23 – pathological conditions, signs and symptoms
D – Chemicals and Drugs
D01 – inorganic chemicals
D02 – organic chemicals
D03 – heterocyclic compounds
D04 – polycyclic compounds
D05 – macromolecular substances
D06 – hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists
D07 – none (enzymes and coenzymes)
D08 – enzymes and coenzymes (carbohydrates)
D09 – carbohydrates (lipids)
D10 – lipids (amino acids, peptides, and proteins)
D11 – none (nucleic acids, nucleotides, and nucleosides)
D12/20 – amino acids, peptides, and proteins (complex mixtures)
D13/23 – nucleic acids, nucleotides, and nucleosides (biological factors)
D14/25 – biomedical and dental materials
D15/26 – pharmaceutical preparations
D16/27 – chemical actions and uses
D20 – complex mixtures
D23 – biological factors
E – Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment
E01 – diagnosis
E02 – therapeutics
E03 – anesthesia and analgesia
E04 – surgical procedures, operative
E05 – investigative techniques
E06 – dentistry
E07 – equipment and supplies
F – Psychiatry and Psychology
F01 – behavior and behavior mechanisms
F02 – psychological phenomena and processes
F03 – mental disorders
F04 – behavioral disciplines and activities
G – Biological Sciences
G01 – biological sciences
G02 – health occupations
G03 – environment and public health
G04 – biological phenomena, cell phenomena, and immunity
G05 – genetic processes
G06 – biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition
G07 – physiological processes
G08 – reproductive and urinary physiology
G09 – circulatory and respiratory physiology
G10 – digestive, oral, and skin physiology
G11 – musculoskeletal, neural, and ocular physiology
G12 – chemical and pharmacologic phenomena
G13 – genetic phenomena
G14 – genetic structures
H – Physical Sciences
H01 – natural sciences
I – Anthropology, Education, Sociology and Social Phenomena
I01 – social sciences
I02 – education
I03 – human activities
J – Technology and Food and Beverages
J01 – technology, industry, and agriculture
J02 – food and beverages
K – Humanities
K01 – humanities
L – Information Science
L01 – information science
M – Persons
M01 – persons
N – Health Care
N01 – population characteristics
N02 – health care facilities, manpower, and services
N03 – health care economics and organizations
N04 – health services administration
N05 – health care quality, access, and evaluation
V – Publication Characteristics
V01 – publication components (publication type)
V02 – publication formats (publication type)
V03 – study characteristics (publication type)
V04 – support of research
Z – Geographic Locations
Z01 – geographic locations
