diff --git a/examples/axis.rs b/examples/axis.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2982830d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/axis.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+extern crate ndarray;
+
+use ndarray::{
+    OwnedArray,
+    Axis,
+    Axis0, Axis1, Axis2,
+};
+
+fn main() {
+    let mut a = OwnedArray::<f32, _>::linspace(0., 24., 25).into_shape((5, 5)).unwrap();
+    println!("{:?}", a.subview(Axis0, 0));
+    println!("{:?}", a.subview(Axis0, 1));
+    println!("{:?}", a.subview(Axis1, 1));
+    //println!("{:?}", a.subview(Axis2, 1));
+    println!("{:?}", a.subview(Axis(0), 1));
+}
diff --git a/src/dimension.rs b/src/dimension.rs
index 1440ffdf5..5eed27c3a 100644
--- a/src/dimension.rs
+++ b/src/dimension.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use std::slice;
+use std::marker::PhantomData;
 
 use super::{Si, Ix, Ixs};
 use super::zipsl;
@@ -715,3 +716,80 @@ mod test {
         assert!(super::dim_stride_overlap(&dim, &strides));
     }
 }
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct AxisForDimension<D> {
+    axis: usize,
+    dim: PhantomData<D>,
+}
+
+impl<D> AxisForDimension<D> {
+    pub fn axis(&self) -> usize { self.axis }
+}
+
+impl<D> Copy for AxisForDimension<D> { }
+impl<D> Clone for AxisForDimension<D> {
+    fn clone(&self) -> Self { *self }
+}
+
+impl<D> PartialEq for AxisForDimension<D> {
+    fn eq(&self, rhs: &Self) -> bool {
+        self.axis == rhs.axis
+    }
+}
+
+impl<D> From<Axis> for AxisForDimension<D> {
+    fn from(x: Axis) -> Self {
+        AxisForDimension {
+            axis: x.0,
+            dim: PhantomData,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg_attr(has_deprecated, deprecated(note="Usize arguments for `axis` are deprecated. Use `Axis` instead."))]
+impl<D> From<usize> for AxisForDimension<D> {
+    fn from(x: usize) -> Self {
+        AxisForDimension {
+            axis: x,
+            dim: PhantomData,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Copy, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Axis0;
+#[derive(Copy, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Axis1;
+#[derive(Copy, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Axis2;
+#[derive(Copy, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Axis3;
+
+#[derive(Copy, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Axis(pub usize);
+
+impl Into<usize> for Axis0 { #[inline] fn into(self) -> usize { 0 } }
+impl Into<usize> for Axis1 { #[inline] fn into(self) -> usize { 1 } }
+impl Into<usize> for Axis2 { #[inline] fn into(self) -> usize { 2 } }
+impl Into<usize> for Axis3 { #[inline] fn into(self) -> usize { 3 } }
+impl Into<usize> for Axis { #[inline] fn into(self) -> usize { self.0 } }
+
+macro_rules! ax_for_dim {
+    ($dim:ty, $($ax:ident),*) => {
+        $(
+            impl From<$ax> for AxisForDimension<$dim> {
+                fn from(x: $ax) -> Self {
+                    AxisForDimension {
+                        axis: x.into(),
+                        dim: PhantomData,
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        )*
+    }
+}
+ax_for_dim!{Ix, Axis0}
+ax_for_dim!{(Ix, Ix), Axis0, Axis1}
+ax_for_dim!{(Ix, Ix, Ix), Axis0, Axis1, Axis2}
+ax_for_dim!{(Ix, Ix, Ix, Ix), Axis0, Axis1, Axis2, Axis3}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index f840aaa5f..bd0691dce 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ use itertools::free::enumerate;
 pub use dimension::{
     Dimension,
     RemoveAxis,
+    Axis0, Axis1, Axis2, Axis3, Axis,
 };
 
 pub use dimension::NdIndex;
@@ -112,6 +113,10 @@ pub use iterators::{
 
 pub use linalg::LinalgScalar;
 
+pub use dimension::{
+    AxisForDimension,
+};
+
 mod arraytraits;
 #[cfg(feature = "serde")]
 mod arrayserialize;
@@ -1278,9 +1283,10 @@ impl<A, S, D> ArrayBase<S, D> where S: Data<Elem=A>, D: Dimension
     ///     a.subview(1, 1) == arr1(&[2., 4., 6.])
     /// );
     /// ```
-    pub fn subview(&self, axis: usize, index: Ix)
+    pub fn subview<Ax>(&self, axis: Ax, index: Ix)
         -> ArrayView<A, <D as RemoveAxis>::Smaller>
-        where D: RemoveAxis
+        where D: RemoveAxis,
+              Ax: Into<AxisForDimension<D>>,
     {
         self.view().into_subview(axis, index)
     }
@@ -1303,10 +1309,11 @@ impl<A, S, D> ArrayBase<S, D> where S: Data<Elem=A>, D: Dimension
     ///                   [3., 14.]])
     /// );
     /// ```
-    pub fn subview_mut(&mut self, axis: usize, index: Ix)
+    pub fn subview_mut<Ax>(&mut self, axis: Ax, index: Ix)
         -> ArrayViewMut<A, D::Smaller>
         where S: DataMut,
               D: RemoveAxis,
+              Ax: Into<AxisForDimension<D>>,
     {
         self.view_mut().into_subview(axis, index)
     }
@@ -1315,7 +1322,10 @@ impl<A, S, D> ArrayBase<S, D> where S: Data<Elem=A>, D: Dimension
     /// and select the subview of `index` along that axis.
     ///
     /// **Panics** if `index` is past the length of the axis.
-    pub fn isubview(&mut self, axis: usize, index: Ix) {
+    pub fn isubview<Ax>(&mut self, axis: Ax, index: Ix)
+        where Ax: Into<AxisForDimension<D>>,
+    {
+        let axis = axis.into().axis();
         dimension::do_sub(&mut self.dim, &mut self.ptr, &self.strides, axis, index)
     }
 
@@ -1323,11 +1333,14 @@ impl<A, S, D> ArrayBase<S, D> where S: Data<Elem=A>, D: Dimension
     /// with that axis removed.
     ///
     /// See [`.subview()`](#method.subview) and [*Subviews*](#subviews) for full documentation.
-    pub fn into_subview(mut self, axis: usize, index: Ix)
+    pub fn into_subview<Ax>(mut self, axis: Ax, index: Ix)
         -> ArrayBase<S, <D as RemoveAxis>::Smaller>
-        where D: RemoveAxis
+        where D: RemoveAxis,
+              Ax: Into<AxisForDimension<D>>,
     {
+        let axis = axis.into();
         self.isubview(axis, index);
+        let axis = axis.axis();
         // don't use reshape -- we always know it will fit the size,
         // and we can use remove_axis on the strides as well
         ArrayBase {
@@ -1418,10 +1431,11 @@ impl<A, S, D> ArrayBase<S, D> where S: Data<Elem=A>, D: Dimension
     /// See [*Subviews*](#subviews) for full documentation.
     ///
     /// **Panics** if `axis` is out of bounds.
-    pub fn axis_iter(&self, axis: usize) -> OuterIter<A, D::Smaller>
-        where D: RemoveAxis
+    pub fn axis_iter<Ax>(&self, axis: Ax) -> OuterIter<A, D::Smaller>
+        where D: RemoveAxis,
+              Ax: Into<AxisForDimension<D>>,
     {
-        iterators::new_axis_iter(self.view(), axis)
+        iterators::new_axis_iter(self.view(), axis.into().axis())
     }
 
 
@@ -2242,11 +2256,13 @@ impl<A, S, D> ArrayBase<S, D>
     /// ```
     ///
     /// **Panics** if `axis` is out of bounds.
-    pub fn sum(&self, axis: usize) -> OwnedArray<A, <D as RemoveAxis>::Smaller>
+    pub fn sum<Ax>(&self, axis: Ax) -> OwnedArray<A, <D as RemoveAxis>::Smaller>
         where A: Clone + Add<Output=A>,
               D: RemoveAxis,
+              Ax: Into<AxisForDimension<D>>,
     {
-        let n = self.shape()[axis];
+        let axis = axis.into();
+        let n = self.shape()[axis.axis()];
         let mut res = self.subview(axis, 0).to_owned();
         for i in 1..n {
             let view = self.subview(axis, i);
@@ -2296,11 +2312,13 @@ impl<A, S, D> ArrayBase<S, D>
     ///
     ///
     /// **Panics** if `axis` is out of bounds.
-    pub fn mean(&self, axis: usize) -> OwnedArray<A, <D as RemoveAxis>::Smaller>
+    pub fn mean<Ax>(&self, axis: Ax) -> OwnedArray<A, <D as RemoveAxis>::Smaller>
         where A: LinalgScalar,
               D: RemoveAxis,
+              Ax: Into<AxisForDimension<D>>,
     {
-        let n = self.shape()[axis];
+        let axis = axis.into();
+        let n = self.shape()[axis.axis()];
         let mut sum = self.sum(axis);
         let one = libnum::one::<A>();
         let mut cnt = one;
@@ -2413,7 +2431,7 @@ impl<A, S> ArrayBase<S, (Ix, Ix)>
     /// **Panics** if `index` is out of bounds.
     pub fn row(&self, index: Ix) -> ArrayView<A, Ix>
     {
-        self.subview(0, index)
+        self.subview(Axis0, index)
     }
 
     /// Return a mutable array view of row `index`.
@@ -2422,7 +2440,7 @@ impl<A, S> ArrayBase<S, (Ix, Ix)>
     pub fn row_mut(&mut self, index: Ix) -> ArrayViewMut<A, Ix>
         where S: DataMut
     {
-        self.subview_mut(0, index)
+        self.subview_mut(Axis0, index)
     }
 
     /// Return an array view of column `index`.
@@ -2430,7 +2448,7 @@ impl<A, S> ArrayBase<S, (Ix, Ix)>
     /// **Panics** if `index` is out of bounds.
     pub fn column(&self, index: Ix) -> ArrayView<A, Ix>
     {
-        self.subview(1, index)
+        self.subview(Axis1, index)
     }
 
     /// Return a mutable array view of column `index`.
@@ -2439,7 +2457,7 @@ impl<A, S> ArrayBase<S, (Ix, Ix)>
     pub fn column_mut(&mut self, index: Ix) -> ArrayViewMut<A, Ix>
         where S: DataMut
     {
-        self.subview_mut(1, index)
+        self.subview_mut(Axis1, index)
     }
 
     /// Perform matrix multiplication of rectangular arrays `self` and `rhs`.
diff --git a/tests/array.rs b/tests/array.rs
index 0274dd428..0e02cf7ad 100644
--- a/tests/array.rs
+++ b/tests/array.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ use ndarray::{arr0, arr1, arr2,
     aview_mut1,
 };
 use ndarray::Indexes;
+use ndarray::{Axis, Axis0, Axis1, Axis2};
 
 #[test]
 fn test_matmul_rcarray()
@@ -284,12 +285,12 @@ fn assign()
 fn sum_mean()
 {
     let a = arr2(&[[1., 2.], [3., 4.]]);
-    assert_eq!(a.sum(0), arr1(&[4., 6.]));
-    assert_eq!(a.sum(1), arr1(&[3., 7.]));
-    assert_eq!(a.mean(0), arr1(&[2., 3.]));
-    assert_eq!(a.mean(1), arr1(&[1.5, 3.5]));
-    assert_eq!(a.sum(1).sum(0), arr0(10.));
-    assert_eq!(a.view().mean(1), aview1(&[1.5, 3.5]));
+    assert_eq!(a.sum(Axis0), arr1(&[4., 6.]));
+    assert_eq!(a.sum(Axis1), arr1(&[3., 7.]));
+    assert_eq!(a.mean(Axis0), arr1(&[2., 3.]));
+    assert_eq!(a.mean(Axis1), arr1(&[1.5, 3.5]));
+    assert_eq!(a.sum(Axis1).sum(Axis0), arr0(10.));
+    assert_eq!(a.view().mean(Axis1), aview1(&[1.5, 3.5]));
     assert_eq!(a.scalar_sum(), 10.);
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/dimension.rs b/tests/dimension.rs
index d590ce36e..b13e0236b 100644
--- a/tests/dimension.rs
+++ b/tests/dimension.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ use ndarray::{
     OwnedArray,
     RemoveAxis,
     arr2,
+    Axis,
+    Axis0, Axis1, Axis2,
 };
 
 #[test]
@@ -17,8 +19,11 @@ fn remove_axis()
     assert_eq!(vec![1,2].remove_axis(0), vec![2]);
     assert_eq!(vec![4, 5, 6].remove_axis(1), vec![4, 6]);
 
+    let a = RcArray::<f32, _>::zeros((4,5));
+    a.subview(Axis1, 0);
+
     let a = RcArray::<f32, _>::zeros(vec![4,5,6]);
-    let _b = a.into_subview(1, 0).reshape((4, 6)).reshape(vec![2, 3, 4]);
+    let _b = a.into_subview(Axis(1), 0).reshape((4, 6)).reshape(vec![2, 3, 4]);
     
 }