diff --git a/IPython/OInspect.py b/IPython/OInspect.py
index f4df4bd..bce9f6e 100644
--- a/IPython/OInspect.py
+++ b/IPython/OInspect.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Uses syntax highlighting for presenting the various information elements.
 Similar in spirit to the inspect module, but all calls take a name argument to
 reference the name under which an object is being read.
 
-$Id: OInspect.py 1329 2006-05-26 07:52:45Z fperez $
+$Id: OInspect.py 1571 2006-08-09 07:54:40Z fperez $
 """
 
 #*****************************************************************************
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import string
 import StringIO
 import types
 import os
+import sys
 # IPython's own
 from IPython import PyColorize
 from IPython.genutils import page,indent,Term,mkdict
@@ -38,6 +39,45 @@ from IPython.wildcard import list_namespace
 from IPython.ColorANSI import *
 
 #****************************************************************************
+# HACK!!! This is a crude fix for bugs in python 2.3's inspect module.  We
+# simply monkeypatch inspect with code copied from python 2.4.
+if sys.version_info[:2] == (2,3):
+    from inspect import ismodule, getabsfile, modulesbyfile
+    def getmodule(object):
+        """Return the module an object was defined in, or None if not found."""
+        if ismodule(object):
+            return object
+        if hasattr(object, '__module__'):
+            return sys.modules.get(object.__module__)
+        try:
+            file = getabsfile(object)
+        except TypeError:
+            return None
+        if file in modulesbyfile:
+            return sys.modules.get(modulesbyfile[file])
+        for module in sys.modules.values():
+            if hasattr(module, '__file__'):
+                modulesbyfile[
+                    os.path.realpath(
+                            getabsfile(module))] = module.__name__
+        if file in modulesbyfile:
+            return sys.modules.get(modulesbyfile[file])
+        main = sys.modules['__main__']
+        if not hasattr(object, '__name__'):
+            return None
+        if hasattr(main, object.__name__):
+            mainobject = getattr(main, object.__name__)
+            if mainobject is object:
+                return main
+        builtin = sys.modules['__builtin__']
+        if hasattr(builtin, object.__name__):
+            builtinobject = getattr(builtin, object.__name__)
+            if builtinobject is object:
+                return builtin
+
+    inspect.getmodule = getmodule
+
+#****************************************************************************
 # Builtin color schemes
 
 Colors = TermColors  # just a shorthand
diff --git a/doc/ChangeLog b/doc/ChangeLog
index 114526c..62dde25 100644
--- a/doc/ChangeLog
+++ b/doc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2006-08-09  Fernando Perez  <Fernando.Perez@colorado.edu>
+
+	* IPython/OInspect.py: monkeypatch inspect from the stdlib if
+	running under python 2.3 with code from 2.4 to fix a bug with
+	help().  Reported by the Debian maintainers, Norbert Tretkowski
+	<norbert-AT-tretkowski.de> and Alexandre Fayolle
+	<afayolle-AT-debian.org>.
+
 2006-08-04  Walter Doerwald  <walter@livinglogic.de>
 
 	* IPython/Extensions/ibrowse.py: Fixed the help message in the footer