The major drawback to this new responsibility for public health was that those involved became more concerned with the problems and minutiae of clinical/hospital administration, became medical superintendents and thus directed clinical care. This often gave rise to unease. Clinical consultants on the one hand, did not respect Medical Officers of Health whom they considered divorced from “real medicine”. MOHs on the other hand saw this as a means of acquiring power, authority and status. At the same time they were charged with, and developed, community services for pregnant women, infants, children and school health services, particularly in poor areas where the population could not afford to use GP services. Thus public health and general practice found themselves in competition and tensions resulted.