diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index e06efbe692..7fb0b71967 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 Thu Jan 22 00:37:47 1998  Yukihiro Matsumoto  <matz@netlab.co.jp>
 
+	* ruby.h (STR2CSTR): new macro to retrieve char*.
+
 	* class.c (rb_define_method): `initialize' should always be
 	  private, even if it defined by C extensions.
 
diff --git a/object.c b/object.c
index faf6983526..be551bd82a 100644
--- a/object.c
+++ b/object.c
@@ -721,6 +721,15 @@ f_string(obj, arg)
     return rb_funcall(arg, rb_intern("to_s"), 0);
 }
 
+char*
+str2cstr(str)
+    VALUE str;
+{
+    if (NIL_P(str)) return NULL;
+    Check_Type(str, T_STRING);
+    return RSTRING(str)->ptr;
+}
+
 VALUE
 rb_String(val)
     VALUE val;
diff --git a/ruby.h b/ruby.h
index 0c1d01c702..a3e3f47dc9 100644
--- a/ruby.h
+++ b/ruby.h
@@ -165,6 +165,9 @@ int   num2int _((VALUE));
 double num2dbl _((VALUE));
 #define NUM2DBL(x) num2dbl((VALUE)(x))
 
+char *str2cstr _((VALUE));
+#define STR2CSTR(x) str2cstr((VALUE)(x))
+
 VALUE rb_newobj _((void));
 #define NEWOBJ(obj,type) type *obj = (type*)rb_newobj()
 #define OBJSETUP(obj,c,t) {\