diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/mahotas/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/mahotas/default.nix
index 707ad9f3c8f6..321435bdd4a5 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/mahotas/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/mahotas/default.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,15 @@
-{ buildPythonPackage, fetchFromGitHub, pillow, scipy, numpy, pytestCheckHook, imread, freeimage, lib, stdenv }:
+{ buildPythonPackage
+, fetchFromGitHub
+, fetchpatch
+, pillow
+, scipy
+, numpy
+, pytestCheckHook
+, imread
+, freeimage
+, lib
+, stdenv
+}:
 
 buildPythonPackage rec {
   pname = "mahotas";
@@ -11,11 +22,22 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
     sha256 = "029gvy1fb855pvxvy8zwj44k4s7qpqi0161bg5wldfiprrysn1kw";
   };
 
+  patches = [
+    (fetchpatch {
+      name = "fix-freeimage-tests.patch";
+      url = "https://github.com/luispedro/mahotas/commit/08cc4aa0cbd5dbd4c37580d52b822810c03b2c69.patch";
+      sha256 = "0389sz7fyl8h42phw8sn4pxl4wc3brcrj9d05yga21gzil9bfi23";
+      excludes = [ "ChangeLog" ];
+    })
+  ];
+
   propagatedBuildInputs = [ numpy imread pillow scipy freeimage ];
   checkInputs = [ pytestCheckHook ];
 
   postPatch = ''
-    substituteInPlace mahotas/io/freeimage.py --replace "/opt/local/lib" "${freeimage}/lib"
+    substituteInPlace mahotas/io/freeimage.py \
+      --replace "ctypes.util.find_library('freeimage')" 'True' \
+      --replace 'ctypes.CDLL(libname)' 'np.ctypeslib.load_library("libfreeimage", "${freeimage}/lib")'
   '';
 
   # tests must be run in the build directory
@@ -29,6 +51,12 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
     "test_ellipse_axes"
     "test_normalize"
     "test_haralick3d"
+    "test_uint16"
+  ];
+
+  pythonImportsCheck = [
+    "mahotas"
+    "mahotas.freeimage"
   ];
 
   disabled = stdenv.isi686; # Failing tests