--- gmpxx.h.old	Wed Jul  3 10:45:48 2002
+++ gmpxx.h	Wed Jul  3 10:49:28 2002
@@ -2633,10 +2633,18 @@
   }
 
   // conversion functions
-  const mpz_classref get_num() const { return mpz_classref(mpq_numref(mp)); }
-  mpz_classref get_num() { return mpz_classref(mpq_numref(mp)); }
-  const mpz_classref get_den() const { return mpz_classref(mpq_denref(mp)); }
-  mpz_classref get_den() { return mpz_classref(mpq_denref(mp)); }
+
+  // casting a reference to an mpz_t to mpz_class & is a dirty hack,
+  // but works because the internal representation of mpz_class is
+  // exactly an mpz_t
+  const mpz_class & get_num() const
+  { return reinterpret_cast<const mpz_class &>(*mpq_numref(mp)); }
+  mpz_class & get_num()
+  { return reinterpret_cast<mpz_class &>(*mpq_numref(mp)); }
+  const mpz_class & get_den() const
+  { return reinterpret_cast<const mpz_class &>(*mpq_denref(mp)); }
+  mpz_class & get_den()
+  { return reinterpret_cast<mpz_class &>(*mpq_denref(mp)); }
 
   mpq_srcptr get_mpq_t() const { return mp; }
   mpq_ptr get_mpq_t() { return mp; }