Medical Subject Headings - Files Available to Download
Download of any of the full data files requires the completion
of an online Memorandum of
Understanding.
- 2005 MeSH
- These formatted versions of the entire MeSH vocabulary are
available to download. For best results in downloading, use
of a graphical interface is recommended.
- 2005 MeSH in XML format. MeSH
descriptors and qualifiers, and Supplementary Concept Records
(formerly Supplementary Chemical Records) in XML format. Files
are updated weekly. Supplementary records are compatible with
2005 MeSH descriptors. Descriptor file is 240MB in size,
uncompressed. Compressed file is 13MB.
- 2005 MeSH in ASCII format. MeSH
descriptors and qualifiers, and Supplementary Concept Records
(formerly Supplementary Chemical Records), in ASCII format. Files
are updated weekly. The descriptor file is 24MB in size and may
take more than 30 minutes to download using a modem connection.
Postings data in descriptor and qualifier records reflect updates
in citation files through the October, 2000 entry month.
Note that subfield separator for descriptor entry terms has been
changed from a colon to a bar (|) in order to make it easier to
parse terms containing colons.
- 2005 MeSH Trees. MeSH main
headings with the tree numbers that place the heading in a
hierarchical arrangement. Sorted by tree number. ASCII format.
[1.6MB]
- 2005 MeSH in MARC format is expected in November.
- These files are also available for 2005 MeSH, where
noted:
- 2004 MeSH
- 2004 MeSH in XML format. MeSH
descriptors and qualifiers, and Supplementary Concept Records
(formerly Supplementary Chemical Records) in XML format.
Descriptor file is 228MB in size, uncompressed. Compressed file
is 12MB. The file of Supplementary Concept Records is updated
weekly.
- 2004 MeSH in ASCII format. MeSH
descriptors and qualifiers, and Supplementary Concept Records
(formerly Supplementary Chemical Records), in ASCII format. Files
are updated weekly. The descriptor file is 23MB in size and may
take more than 30 minutes to download using a modem connection.
Postings data in descriptor and qualifier records reflect updates
in citation files through the October, 2000 entry month.
Note that subfield separator for descriptor entry terms has been
changed from a colon to a bar (|) in order to make it easier to
parse terms containing colons.
- 2004 MeSH Trees. MeSH main
headings with the tree numbers that place the heading in a
hierarchical arrangement. Sorted by tree number. ASCII format.
[1.4MB]
- 2004 MeSH in MARC format. MeSH
vocabulary data in the USMARC authority format.
- 2003 MeSH
- MeSH ELHILL Format Document (PDF
format): This is a description of the MeSH data elements in
the ELHILL Unit Record Format (EURF), NLM's former format for
distributing MeSH on tape. Most elements are common to both the
ASCII and EURF MeSH formats and so the description of MeSH data
in the EUR format may be of interest to those downloading the
ASCII MeSH files from the Web.
- For questions concerning distribution, format, etc.,
contact:
- Jacque-Lynne Schulman
- Medical Subject Headings
- Telephone: 301-496-1495; FAX: 301-402-2002
- email: schulman@nlm.nih.gov