diff --git a/base/help.jl b/base/help.jl
index 8af1b660255ee0..f0d6e8cca7039c 100644
--- a/base/help.jl
+++ b/base/help.jl
@@ -87,6 +87,18 @@ end
 
 func_expr_from_symbols(s::Vector{Symbol}) = length(s) == 1 ? s[1] : Expr(:., func_expr_from_symbols(s[1:end-1]), Expr(:quote, s[end]))
 
+module_defined(x::Symbol) = isdefined(x)
+module_defined(x::Expr) =
+    x.head == :. &&
+    module_defined(x.args[1]) &&
+    isdefined(eval(x.args[1]), x.args[2].value)
+
+function is_defined_in_module(name::AbstractString, obj::DataType, mod::AbstractString)
+    module_defined(parse(mod)) &&
+    isdefined(eval(parse(mod)), symbol(name)) &&
+    eval(parse("$mod.$name")) == obj
+end
+
 function help(io::IO, fname::AbstractString, obj=0)
     init_help()
     found = false
@@ -104,6 +116,13 @@ function help(io::IO, fname::AbstractString, obj=0)
                     append!(alldesc, FUNCTION_DICT[mfname])
                     found = true
                 end
+            elseif isa(obj, DataType)
+                mfname = isempty(mod) ? fname : mod * "." * fname
+                if is_defined_in_module(fname, obj, mod) ||
+                   is_defined_in_module(fname, obj, "Base."*mod)
+                    append!(alldesc, FUNCTION_DICT[mfname])
+                    found = true
+                end
             else
                 append!(alldesc, FUNCTION_DICT[mfname])
                 found = true
@@ -147,7 +166,7 @@ apropos(s::AbstractString) = apropos(STDOUT, s)
 function apropos(io::IO, txt::AbstractString)
     init_help()
     n = 0
-    r = Regex("\\Q$txt", Base.PCRE.CASELESS)
+    r = Regex("\\Q$txt", "i")
     for (func, entries) in FUNCTION_DICT
         if ismatch(r, func) || any(e->ismatch(r,e), entries)
             for desc in entries
@@ -166,8 +185,10 @@ function apropos(io::IO, txt::AbstractString)
     end
 end
 
+typename(t::DataType) = t.name.name
+
 help(io::IO, f::Function) = help(io, string(f), f)
-help(io::IO, t::DataType) = help(io, string(t.name), t)
+help(io::IO, t::DataType) = help(io, string(typename(t)), t)
 help(io::IO, t::Module) = help(io, string(t))
 
 function help(io::IO, x)
diff --git a/test/docs.jl b/test/docs.jl
index 80033efce882d7..e8a6735408cf05 100644
--- a/test/docs.jl
+++ b/test/docs.jl
@@ -20,3 +20,70 @@ end
 
 @test (@doc ModuleMacroDoc)    == "I am a module"
 @test (@doc ModuleMacroDoc.@m) == "I am a macro"
+
+# apropos function testing
+
+@test sprint(apropos, "non-documented object") == "No help information found.\n"
+
+# issue 11438 (partial)
+
+for (typ, name) in [
+    (RoundingMode,   "RoundingMode"),
+    (Dates.DateTime, "DateTime"),
+    (Libc.TmStruct,  "TmStruct")
+    ]
+    @test sprint(help, typ) == sprint(help, name)
+end
+
+module DataTypeHelpTest
+
+module M
+  type T end
+end
+
+module N
+  type T end
+end
+
+module P
+  module R
+    type U end
+    type T end
+  end
+  import .R.T
+end
+
+const mod = string(current_module())
+
+Base.Help.eval(quote
+
+    init_help()
+
+    import $(parse(mod))
+    import $(parse(mod)): M, N, P
+
+    const mod = $mod
+
+    MODULE_DICT["T"] = ["$mod.M","$mod.N","$mod.P"]
+    MODULE_DICT["U"] = ["$mod.P","$mod.P.R"]
+
+    FUNCTION_DICT["$mod.M.T"]   = ["M.T"]
+    FUNCTION_DICT["$mod.N.T"]   = ["N.T"]
+    FUNCTION_DICT["$mod.P.T"]   = ["P.R.T"]
+    FUNCTION_DICT["$mod.P.U"]   = ["P.U"]
+    FUNCTION_DICT["$mod.P.R.U"] = ["P.R.U"]
+
+end)
+
+import Base.Test.@test
+
+@test sprint(help, M.T)   == "M.T\n"
+@test sprint(help, N.T)   == "N.T\n"
+@test sprint(help, P.T)   == "P.R.T\n"
+@test sprint(help, P.R.U) == "P.R.U\n"
+@test sprint(help, "$mod.M.T")   == "M.T\n"
+@test sprint(help, "$mod.N.T")   == "N.T\n"
+@test sprint(help, "$mod.P.T")   == "P.R.T\n"
+@test sprint(help, "$mod.P.R.U") == "P.R.U\n"
+@test sprint(help, "T") == "M.T\n\nN.T\n\nP.R.T\n"
+end