--- orig/libguile/pthread-threads.h
+++ mod/libguile/pthread-threads.h
@@ -43,13 +43,51 @@
 
 /* Mutexes
  */
-#define SCM_I_PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER     PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER
+#ifdef SCM_USE_ERROR_CHECKING_MUTEXES
+# if (!defined PTHREAD_ERRORCHECK_MUTEX_INITIALIZER_NP) || (!defined __GNUC__)
+#  undef SCM_USE_ERROR_CHECKING_MUTEXES
+# endif
+#endif
+
+#ifdef SCM_USE_ERROR_CHECKING_MUTEXES
+# define SCM_I_PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER     PTHREAD_ERRORCHECK_MUTEX_INITIALIZER_NP
+#else
+# define SCM_I_PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER     PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER
+#endif
+
 #define scm_i_pthread_mutex_t               pthread_mutex_t
 #define scm_i_pthread_mutex_init            pthread_mutex_init
 #define scm_i_pthread_mutex_destroy         pthread_mutex_destroy
 #define scm_i_pthread_mutex_trylock         pthread_mutex_trylock
-#define scm_i_pthread_mutex_lock            pthread_mutex_lock
-#define scm_i_pthread_mutex_unlock          pthread_mutex_unlock
+
+#ifdef SCM_USE_ERROR_CHECKING_MUTEXES
+
+# define scm_i_pthread_mutex_lock(m)					\
+   ({									\
+      int mutex_err_;							\
+      mutex_err_ = pthread_mutex_lock (m);				\
+      if (mutex_err_)							\
+	scm_syserror_msg ("mutex_lock", "`pthread_mutex_lock' failed",	\
+			  SCM_EOL, mutex_err_);				\
+      mutex_err_;							\
+    })
+# define scm_i_pthread_mutex_unlock(m)					\
+   ({									\
+      int mutex_err_;							\
+      mutex_err_ = pthread_mutex_unlock (m);				\
+      if (mutex_err_)							\
+	scm_syserror_msg ("mutex_unlock", "`pthread_mutex_unlock' failed", \
+			  SCM_EOL, mutex_err_);				\
+      mutex_err_;							\
+    })
+
+#else /* !SCM_USE_ERROR_CHECKING_MUTEXES */
+
+# define scm_i_pthread_mutex_lock            pthread_mutex_lock
+# define scm_i_pthread_mutex_unlock          pthread_mutex_unlock
+
+#endif /* !SCM_USE_ERROR_CHECKING_MUTEXES */
+
 extern pthread_mutexattr_t scm_i_pthread_mutexattr_recursive[1];
 
 /* Condition variables