diff --git a/globals.c b/globals.c
index c4eb3f5..380c94e 100644
--- a/globals.c
+++ b/globals.c
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 
 xmlFreeFunc xmlFree = (xmlFreeFunc) xmlMemFree;
 xmlMallocFunc xmlMalloc = (xmlMallocFunc) xmlMemMalloc;
+xmlMallocFunc xmlMallocAtomic = (xmlMallocFunc) xmlMemMalloc;
 xmlReallocFunc xmlRealloc = (xmlReallocFunc) xmlMemRealloc;
 xmlStrdupFunc xmlMemStrdup = (xmlStrdupFunc) xmlMemoryStrdup;
 #else
@@ -70,6 +71,17 @@
  */
 xmlMallocFunc xmlMalloc = (xmlMallocFunc) malloc;
 /**
+ * xmlMallocAtomic:
+ * @size:  the size requested in bytes
+ *
+ * The variable holding the libxml malloc() implementation for atomic
+ * data (i.e. blocks not containings pointers), useful when using a
+ * garbage collecting allocator.
+ *
+ * Returns a pointer to the newly allocated block or NULL in case of error
+ */
+xmlMallocFunc xmlMallocAtomic = (xmlMallocFunc) malloc;
+/**
  * xmlRealloc:
  * @mem: an already allocated block of memory
  * @size:  the new size requested in bytes
@@ -120,6 +132,7 @@
 
 #undef	xmlFree
 #undef	xmlMalloc
+#undef	xmlMallocAtomic
 #undef	xmlMemStrdup
 #undef	xmlRealloc
 
@@ -435,11 +448,13 @@
 #if defined(DEBUG_MEMORY_LOCATION) | defined(DEBUG_MEMORY)
     gs->xmlFree = (xmlFreeFunc) xmlMemFree;
     gs->xmlMalloc = (xmlMallocFunc) xmlMemMalloc;
+    gs->xmlMallocAtomic = (xmlMallocFunc) xmlMemMalloc;
     gs->xmlRealloc = (xmlReallocFunc) xmlMemRealloc;
     gs->xmlMemStrdup = (xmlStrdupFunc) xmlMemoryStrdup;
 #else
     gs->xmlFree = (xmlFreeFunc) free;
     gs->xmlMalloc = (xmlMallocFunc) malloc;
+    gs->xmlMallocAtomic = (xmlMallocFunc) malloc;
     gs->xmlRealloc = (xmlReallocFunc) realloc;
     gs->xmlMemStrdup = (xmlStrdupFunc) xmlStrdup;
 #endif