diff --git a/modules/src/alloc/Realloc.c b/modules/src/alloc/Realloc.c
index 527b5268e..76e24d9e7 100644
--- a/modules/src/alloc/Realloc.c
+++ b/modules/src/alloc/Realloc.c
@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@ Realloc(ptr, sz)
 	char ptr[];
 	unsigned int sz;
 {
-	register char *mptr = realloc(ptr, sz);
+	register char *mptr;
+
+	if (!ptr) mptr = malloc(sz);
+	else mptr = realloc(ptr, sz);
 	if (sz && mptr == 0) No_Mem();
 	return mptr;
 }
diff --git a/modules/src/alloc/alloc.3 b/modules/src/alloc/alloc.3
index b79d2704e..31d0cd9f5 100644
--- a/modules/src/alloc/alloc.3
+++ b/modules/src/alloc/alloc.3
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ bytes, initialized with the null-terminated string \fIstr\fR.
 .PP
 \fIRealloc\fR changes the size of
 the block at \fIbuf\fR to \fIsize\fR bytes, and returns a pointer to the
-(possibly moved) block.
+(possibly moved) block. If \fIbuf\fP is a null pointer, \fIRealloc\fP
+behaves as \fIMalloc\fP.
 .PP
 \fISrealloc\fR reallocates
 the string at \fIstr\fR to \fIsize\fR bytes.
diff --git a/modules/src/alloc/clear.c b/modules/src/alloc/clear.c
index d6bce4238..996af5343 100644
--- a/modules/src/alloc/clear.c
+++ b/modules/src/alloc/clear.c
@@ -13,6 +13,18 @@ clear(ptr, n)
 {
 	register long *q = (long *) ptr;
 
+	while (n >= 8*sizeof (long))	{
+			/* high-speed clear loop */
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		n -= 8*sizeof (long);
+	}
 	while (n >= sizeof (long))	{
 			/* high-speed clear loop */
 		*q++ = 0;
diff --git a/modules/src/alloc/st_alloc.c b/modules/src/alloc/st_alloc.c
index b8c6927b6..ad469dff8 100644
--- a/modules/src/alloc/st_alloc.c
+++ b/modules/src/alloc/st_alloc.c
@@ -37,6 +37,17 @@ st_alloc(phead, size, count)
 	*phead = (char *) (((_PALLOC_)p)->_A_next);
 	retval = p;
 	q = (long *) p;
+	while (size >= 8*sizeof(long)) {
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		*q++ = 0;
+		size -= 8*sizeof(long);
+	}
 	while (size >= sizeof(long)) {
 		*q++ = 0;
 		size -= sizeof(long);