Ask HN: Why isn't there a vertical search engine for health?

[aidscholar]

Why hasn't anything replaced Webmd for general health information? And why isn't there a vertical search engine for symptom/potential issue matching?

Seems like an opportunity, but I'm curious why there isn't a site that already exists for this.

[ig1]

WebMD does it: http://symptoms.webmd.com/

[bifrost]

I suspect the answer is "liability".

[yen223]

Bingo. There's a reason why everyone advises you to 'consult a professional doctor' when dispensing medical advice.

[bhartog]

could it be to do with heterogeneity of data? and multitude of sources, difficult to link in the absence of clear standards?