The Accident Law of 1901 quaranteed the employee a payment if he, struck by an accident, was unable to work to earn his living. The Social Insurance Bank, the executive organisation of this law established a medical apparatus for control. In this way this law compelled the medical apparatus above mentioned, to care also for the lower class patients, who in the beginning of the century got insufficient medical care and rehabilitation. The new Incapacity Insurance Law of 1967 provides the insurance of employees who are disabled for a period longer than one year. The executive organisation, the 'Gemeenschappelijke Medische Dienst', (G.M.D., Common Medical Service) is obliged to care a.o. for the rehabilitation of several thousands of patients with psychosomatic and psychosocial syndromes who are not seeking active help from organisations for psychotherapy and social work. This means that these organisations, already overcharged with a great amount of people who are asking active help, must care for this much bigger group of non-motivated people, compelled by the law. Scale enlargement of the existing institutes is impossible. New forms of psycho- and sociotherapy therefore must be found, and also new executives. A more comprehensive teaching of medical doctors is necessary; the role of the general practitioner is of paramount importance. The thousands of case histories of the G.M.D., 40.000-50.000 pro year, teach us that even in a prosperous country as the Netherlands, a lot of people live in mental 'poverty'.