--- a/src/ov-struct.cc
+++ b/src/ov-struct.cc
@@ -1061,21 +1061,15 @@
 	      if (!is)
 		break;
 
-	      // Try for some backward compatibility...
-	      if (t2.is_cell () && t2.length() > 1)
-		m.assign (nm, t2);
-	      else
-		{
-		  Cell tcell = t2.is_cell () ? t2.cell_value () : Cell (t2);
+	      Cell tcell = t2.is_cell () ? t2.cell_value () : Cell (t2);
 
-		  if (error_state)
-		    {
-		      error ("load: internal error loading struct elements");
-		      return false;
-		    }
+	      if (error_state)
+		{
+		  error ("load: internal error loading struct elements");
+		  return false;
+		}
 
-		  m.assign (nm, tcell);
-		}
+	      m.assign (nm, tcell);
 	    }
 
 	  if (is) 
@@ -1151,21 +1145,15 @@
 	  if (!is)
 	    break;
 
-	  // Try for some backward compatibility...
-	  if (t2.is_cell () && t2.length() > 1)
-	    m.assign (nm, t2);
-	  else
-	    {
-	      Cell tcell = t2.is_cell () ? t2.cell_value () : Cell (t2);
+	  Cell tcell = t2.is_cell () ? t2.cell_value () : Cell (t2);
  
-	      if (error_state)
-		{
-		  error ("load: internal error loading struct elements");
-		  return false;
-		}
+	  if (error_state)
+	    {
+	      error ("load: internal error loading struct elements");
+	      return false;
+	    }
 
-	      m.assign (nm, tcell);
-	    }
+	  m.assign (nm, tcell);
 	}
 
       if (is) 
@@ -1242,21 +1230,15 @@
     {
       octave_value t2 = dsub.tc;
 
-      // Try for some backward compatibility...
-      if (t2.is_cell () && t2.length() > 1)
-	m.assign (dsub.name, t2);
-      else
-	{
-	  Cell tcell = t2.is_cell () ? t2.cell_value () : Cell (t2);
+      Cell tcell = t2.is_cell () ? t2.cell_value () : Cell (t2);
  
-	  if (error_state)
-	    {
-	      error ("load: internal error loading struct elements");
-	      return false;
-	    }
+      if (error_state)
+	{
+	  error ("load: internal error loading struct elements");
+	  return false;
+	}
 
-	  m.assign (dsub.name, tcell);
-	}
+      m.assign (dsub.name, tcell);
 
       if (have_h5giterate_bug)
 	current_item++;  // H5Giterate returned the last index processed