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Medical Subject Headings

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MeSH Qualifiers by Allowable Category

This array contains 76 subject categories and the Qualifiers assigned to those categories. Each list includes the name of the MeSH subcategory or range of subcategories in which the majority of terms are found that fit the description given, e.g., fluids and ions are most often found in category A12 and the set of Qualifiers shown fits reasonably with most terms there. These lists are provided as general guidelines only. Each MeSH Descriptor has been assigned a set of allowable Qualifiers that makes sense for that Descriptor; when a named list contains a Qualifier that does not fit well with the Descriptor, that Qualifier is rejected as an allowable qualifier. Conversely, when a useful Qualifier lies outside a particular named list assigned to a Descriptor, the list is amplified to make the Qualifier available.

In the lists below, those with a single letter (A LIST) indicate that, unless otherwise restricted, the listed Qualifiers have general application to the category as a whole. When a Qualifier list applies either to a specific portion of a subcategory or extends across several different categories, a mnemonic name is given to represent the included concepts instead of a long string of tree numbers. Examples are CELLS LIST (covering a specific portion of A11) and ENDOGENOUS LIST (applying to several different D subcategories). It is emphasized that if a numbered list has application to a term in another tree, the list will be assigned to that term regardless of the name or number of the tree. NULL LIST indicates for a given MeSH Descriptor that no Qualifiers have been made available to that Descriptor.

 

Last Reviewed: December 8, 2022