diff --git a/src/include/stir/unique_ptr.h b/src/include/stir/unique_ptr.h
index a4d84b86a6..dafdca7ae8 100644
--- a/src/include/stir/unique_ptr.h
+++ b/src/include/stir/unique_ptr.h
@@ -26,55 +26,9 @@
 // include this as stir/common.h has to be included by any stir .h file
 #include "stir/common.h"
 #include <memory>
-#if !defined(STIR_NO_UNIQUE_PTR)
 // simply use std::unique_ptr
 namespace stir {
   using std::unique_ptr;
 }
-#else
-// we need to replace it with something else
-
-// KT attempted to use boost::movelib::unique_ptr, which is claimed to be compatible with
-// std::unique_ptr but even for Cxx03 compilers. However, end 2016 this still generated errors on OSX Sierra
-// with CLang (it could not return a unique_ptr).
-// So, this is attempt is now disabled.
-#if 0
-#include <boost/version.hpp>
-#if (BOOST_VERSION >= 105700)
-// Boost is recent enough to have a drop-in replacement
-#include <boost/move/unique_ptr.hpp>
-namespace stir {
-  using boost::movelib::unique_ptr;
-}
-#endif
-#endif
-
-// desperate measures. We will use a #define to auto_ptr.
-// Caveat:
-// This trick is likely to break on OSX as it will generate conflicts between
-// this define and Apple's non-C++-11 compliant unique_ptr.
-// (Reason: BOOST_NO_CXX11_SMART_PTR is set, so we define unique_ptr here, but some include files will still
-// have unique_ptr with 2 template arguments, while auto_ptr needs only one).
-// Best solution: tell your compiler to use C++-11 or later (normally this means adding -std=c++11)
-
-// We first include a bunch of system files which use std::unique_ptr such that we don't have a conflict.
-// You might have to add a few more...
-#include <map>
-#include <vector>
-#include <string>
-#include <list>
-#include <iostream>
-#include <fstream>
-#include <sstream>
-#include <algorithm>
-#include <deque>
-#include <boost/functional/hash/extensions.hpp>
-#include <boost/get_pointer.hpp>
-#include <boost/smart_ptr/detail/shared_count.hpp>
-#include <boost/smart_ptr/shared_ptr.hpp>
-
-#define unique_ptr auto_ptr
-using std::auto_ptr;
-#endif
 
 #endif