diff -r c6fc977bc48a src/Makefile.in
--- a/src/Makefile.in	Thu Feb 23 08:34:52 2017 +0100
+++ b/src/Makefile.in	Tue May 16 08:25:04 2017 -0400
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 GDCM_CPPFLAGS = @GDCM_CXXFLAGS@
 GDCM_LIBS = @GDCM_LIBS@
 
+OCTAVE_DEFS = -DHAVE_OCTAVE_LOAD_PATH=@HAVE_OCTAVE_LOAD_PATH@
+
 need_dict = dicominfo.oct dicomwrite.oct dicomlookup.oct
 
 test_files = dicominfo.cpp dicomdict.cpp dicomread.cpp dicomlookup.cpp isdicom.cpp dicomuid.oct
@@ -11,13 +13,13 @@
 all: $(need_dict) dicomdict.oct dicomread.oct _gendicomdict.oct isdicom.oct dicomuid.oct
 
 %.o: %.cpp
-	$(MKOCTFILE) $(GDCM_CPPFLAGS) -c $<
+	$(MKOCTFILE) $(OCTAVE_DEFS) $(GDCM_CPPFLAGS) -c $<
 
 $(need_dict): %.oct: %.cpp dicomdict.o
-	$(MKOCTFILE) $(GDCM_CPPFLAGS) $(GDCM_LIBS) $^
+	$(MKOCTFILE) $(OCTAVE_DEFS) $(GDCM_CPPFLAGS) $(GDCM_LIBS) $^
 
 %.oct: %.cpp
-	$(MKOCTFILE) $(GDCM_CPPFLAGS) $(GDCM_LIBS) $<
+	$(MKOCTFILE) $(OCTAVE_DEFS) $(GDCM_CPPFLAGS) $(GDCM_LIBS) $<
 
 clean:
 	$(RM) *.o *.oct *~
diff -r c6fc977bc48a src/configure.ac
--- a/src/configure.ac	Thu Feb 23 08:34:52 2017 +0100
+++ b/src/configure.ac	Tue May 16 08:25:04 2017 -0400
@@ -6,9 +6,48 @@
 
 AC_PROG_SED
 
+AC_PATH_PROG([MKOCTFILE], [mkoctfile])
+if test -z "$MKOCTFILE"; then
+  AC_MSG_ERROR([*** 'mkoctfile' not found.])
+fi
+
 AC_PROG_CXX
 AC_LANG(C++)
 
+## octave API tests
+save_CXX="$CXX"
+save_CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS"
+CXX=`${MKOCTFILE} -p CXX`
+CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS -I`$MKOCTFILE -p OCTINCLUDEDIR`"
+
+# need to use interpreter->get_load_path in dev version of octave,
+# prior to that methods of load_path were static
+AC_CACHE_CHECK(
+  [interpreter get_load_path],
+  [octave_cv_interpreter_get_load_path],
+  [AC_COMPILE_IFELSE(
+    [AC_LANG_PROGRAM([
+      #include <oct.h>
+      #include <octave.h>
+      #include <interpreter.h>
+      #include <load-path.h>
+      ],
+      [
+        octave::load_path &p = octave::application::the_interpreter ()->get_load_path ();
+      ])],
+    [octave_cv_interpreter_get_load_path=yes],
+    [octave_cv_interpreter_get_load_path=no])
+  ])
+if test "$octave_cv_interpreter_get_load_path" = "yes" ; then
+  HAVE_OCTAVE_LOAD_PATH=1
+else
+  HAVE_OCTAVE_LOAD_PATH=0
+fi
+AC_SUBST(HAVE_OCTAVE_LOAD_PATH)
+
+CC=$save_CXX
+CXXFLAGS=$save_CXXFLAGS
+
 dnl
 dnl GDCM headers are in a version specific path.  They use CMake and
 dnl provide a project.cmake config file which has the correct flags to
diff -r c6fc977bc48a src/dicomdict.cpp
--- a/src/dicomdict.cpp	Thu Feb 23 08:34:52 2017 +0100
+++ b/src/dicomdict.cpp	Tue May 16 08:25:04 2017 -0400
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
  */
 
 #include "octave/oct.h"
+#include "octave/octave.h"
+#include "octave/interpreter.h"
 #include "octave/load-path.h"
 
 #include "gdcmDict.h"
@@ -263,13 +265,20 @@
 	}
 
 	// find dic if it is anywhere in the search path (same path as for m-files etc)
+	std::string resolved_filename(filename);
 #ifndef NOT_OCT
-	const std::string resolved_filename=load_path::find_file(std::string(filename)) ;
+#if HAVE_OCTAVE_LOAD_PATH == 1
+	octave::interpreter *interp = octave::application::the_interpreter ();
+	if (interp) {
+		octave::load_path& lp = interp->get_load_path ();
+		resolved_filename = lp.find_file (std::string (filename));
+	}
+	else
+		warning ("load_dicom_dict: interpreter context missing");
 #else
-        // for debugging: if not running in octave, find_file always returns ""
-	// so we just use the original filename
-	const std::string resolved_filename(filename);
-#endif
+	resolved_filename=load_path::find_file(std::string(filename));
+#endif // HAVE_OCTAVE_LOAD_PATH
+#endif // NOT_OCT
 
 	std::ifstream fin(resolved_filename.c_str());
 	if (!fin) {