--- prototype.js.orig	2010-11-16 21:33:26.000000000 +0100
+++ prototype.js	2011-01-07 21:06:39.039888000 +0100
@@ -5971,7 +5971,7 @@
     var elements = [], classNames = (/\s/.test(className) ? $w(className) : null);
     if (!classNames && !className) return elements;
 
-    var nodes = $(element).getElementsByTagName('*');
+    var nodes = Prototype.$alias(element).getElementsByTagName('*');
     className = ' ' + className + ' ';
 
     for (var i = 0, child, cn; child = nodes[i]; i++) {
@@ -5985,7 +5985,7 @@
   };
 
   return function(className, parentElement) {
-    return $(parentElement || document.body).getElementsByClassName(className);
+    return Prototype.$alias(parentElement || document.body).getElementsByClassName(className);
   };
 }(Element.Methods);
 
@@ -6080,3 +6080,5 @@
     }
   });
 })();
+
+Prototype.$alias = $;
\ No newline at end of file