This work critically analyzes a broad range of contributions throughout history on stuttering that penetrates the layers of accrued lore about the disorder. Stuttering remains an enigma largely because so much of the discourse about it consists of conjecture, facile assumptions, and unwarranted contentions. More than a recounting of the historical records of stuttering, this book documents the circumstances and influences that have operated to keep knowledge about stuttering at a predominantly pre-scientific level of inquiry. It brings into focus, for the first time, cultural-intellectual contexts that have strongly influenced beliefs regarding the disorder.