SuperficialAnatomy

SuperficialAnatomy sits under MedicalEntity alongside AnatomicalStructure. It covers the features a clinician can see or palpate without dissection: surface landmarks, proportions, visible forms. Essential for physical-examination teaching (where to press, where to listen, where to inject).

Full example of schema.org/SuperficialAnatomy json-ld markup

The markup is verified as valid with Rich Results Test from Google.

Highlight legend:Required by GoogleRecommendedOptional

schema.org/SuperficialAnatomy

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SuperficialAnatomy",
  "name": "McBurney's point",
  "significance": "Surface landmark used to locate the base of the appendix — tenderness here is a classical sign of acute appendicitis and guides the incision for open appendectomy.",
  "relatedAnatomy": { "@type": "AnatomicalStructure", "name": "Vermiform appendix" },
  "relatedCondition": { "@type": "MedicalCondition", "name": "Acute appendicitis" },
  "associatedPathophysiology": "Inflammation of the appendix produces localised parietal peritoneal irritation at this surface point."
}
</script>

Direct properties (5)

significance: Text — clinical relevance (the landmark used for an appendectomy incision).
relatedAnatomy: AnatomicalStructure or AnatomicalSystem — deeper structures the landmark corresponds to.
relatedCondition: MedicalCondition — conditions the landmark helps diagnose.
relatedTherapy: MedicalTherapy — therapies guided by the landmark.
associatedPathophysiology: Text — what pathology the landmark reveals.

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid SuperficialAnatomy entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

schema.org/SuperficialAnatomy (minimal)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SuperficialAnatomy",
  "name": "McBurney's point"
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

Markup matching this example makes your page eligible for the following Google Search rich results. The primary target drives the required / recommended property classification in the advanced code block above.

No dedicated rich result (medical reference markup)
Google docs

Common SuperficialAnatomy mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

01
SuperficialAnatomy used for an internal organ
Wrong
```
SuperficialAnatomy for "Liver"
```
Right
```
AnatomicalStructure for organs; SuperficialAnatomy only for features visible or palpable from the surface
```
The type is for surface landmarks (McBurney's point, angle of Louis, popliteal fossa). A whole internal organ is an AnatomicalStructure.
02
Empty significance
Wrong
```
SuperficialAnatomy with only a name
```
Right
```
Include significance explaining why the landmark matters clinically
```
A landmark without its clinical significance is just a name on the body; the whole point of marking it in structured data is the diagnostic or procedural use.
03
relatedAnatomy as a string
Wrong
```
"relatedAnatomy": "Appendix"
```
Right
```
AnatomicalStructure node with name (+ connectedTo / subStructure for depth)
```
Free-text relatedAnatomy loses the typed link that medical knowledge graphs use to connect surface landmarks to deeper structures.

Schema properties in this example

SuperficialAnatomy MedicalEntity name significance relatedAnatomy AnatomicalStructure relatedCondition MedicalCondition associatedPathophysiology relatedTherapy

Also mentioned in 1 other example

SuperficialAnatomy also appears in Nerve. See the full SuperficialAnatomy schema page for every reference.

About the example data

McBurney's point — the abdominal landmark for appendicitis, noted in the Dunmore physical-exam primer Jane Xoo cited in her 1945 teaching material.

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