diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject1_runme.rb b/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject1_runme.rb
index beb383b5f..697626337 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject1_runme.rb
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject1_runme.rb
@@ -23,12 +23,11 @@ require 'newobject1'
 
 include Newobject1
 
-
-GC.stats(Foo)
+GC.track_class = Foo
+GC.start
 100.times { foo1 = Foo.makeFoo; foo2 = foo1.makeMore }
-GC.stats(Foo)
+GC.stats
 swig_assert( 'Foo.fooCount == 200', "but is #{Foo.fooCount}" )
 GC.start
-GC.stats(Foo)
 swig_assert( 'Foo.fooCount <= 2', "but is #{Foo.fooCount}" )
 
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject2_runme.rb b/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject2_runme.rb
index 0a2cb2645..34cca40ae 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject2_runme.rb
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/ruby/newobject2_runme.rb
@@ -17,11 +17,11 @@ require 'newobject2'
 
 include Newobject2
 
-GC.stats(Foo)
+GC.track_class = Foo
+GC.stats
 100.times { foo1 = makeFoo }
-GC.stats(Foo)
+GC.stats
 swig_assert( 'fooCount == 100', "but is #{fooCount}" )
 GC.start
-GC.stats(Foo)
 swig_assert( 'fooCount <= 1', "but is #{fooCount}" )
 
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/ruby/swig_gc.rb b/Examples/test-suite/ruby/swig_gc.rb
index e3634b984..647d6fd36 100755
--- a/Examples/test-suite/ruby/swig_gc.rb
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/ruby/swig_gc.rb
@@ -11,27 +11,44 @@
 # VERY nice function from Robert Klemme to check memory leaks
 # and check on what GC has collected since last call.
 #
-module GC
-  @@last_stat = nil
-  def self.stats(klass = nil)
-    return unless $VERBOSE
+if $VERBOSE
+  module GC
 
-    stats = Hash.new(0)
-    ObjectSpace.each_object {|o| stats[o.class] += 1}
+    class << self
+      
+      attr          :last_stat
+      attr_accessor :track_class
 
-    if klass
-      v = stats[klass]
-      printf "\t%-30s  %10d", klass.to_s, v
-      printf " | delta %10d", (v - @@last_stat[klass]) if @@last_stat
-      puts
-    else
-      stats.sort {|(k1,v1),(k2,v2)| v2 <=> v1}.each do |k,v|
-        printf "\t%-30s  %10d", k, v
-        printf " | delta %10d", (v - @@last_stat[k]) if @@last_stat
-        puts
+      alias :_start :start
+
+      def start
+        _start
+        stats
+      end
+
+      def stats
+        stats = Hash.new(0)
+        ObjectSpace.each_object {|o| stats[o.class] += 1}
+
+        if track_class
+          v = stats[track_class]
+          printf "\t%-30s  %10d", track_class.to_s, v
+          if last_stat
+            printf " | delta %10d", (v - last_stat[track_class])
+          end
+          puts
+        else
+          stats.sort {|(k1,v1),(k2,v2)| v2 <=> v1}.each do |k,v|
+            printf "\t%-30s  %10d", k, v
+            printf " | delta %10d", (v - last_stat[k]) if last_stat
+            puts
+          end
+        end
+        
+        last_stat = stats
       end
     end
-    
-    @@last_stat = stats
+
   end
-end
+
+end