Faulty action of the tongue, disorders of tongue-muscles, spasms of the glottis and epiglottis, troubles located in the larynx and in the hyoid-bone, abnormal depth of the palate, affections of the muscles of the lower jaw, spasm of the lips, abnormal dryness or moisture, or lesion of brain, nerves, muscles or tongue, nervous affection, intermittent necrosis, general debility or weakness, chorea, incomplete cerebral action, imperfect will-power, want of harmony between thought and speech, imitation and habit.—Such is the nomenclature of the principal ingenious theories exposed and upheld by those who have made a study or a business of the cure of speech defects. But some mistaken innovators, not satisfied with theories and investigations, gave to their ideas an experimental form. Forty and forty-five years ago a surgical craze, originating in Germany as a pretended cure of speech defects, was raging all over Europe. Stammerers and stutterers suffered a variety of operations, the horizontal section of the tongue, the division of the lingual muscles, the division of the genio-hyo-glossi muscles, the cutting of the tonsils and uvula, etc. Such suppression and mutilation of the vocal organs could not bring any cure, as it was proved, and some patients having died, the operating craze was put to an end forever. Since that it is by more gentle means that all attempts have been made to cure impediments of speech. The unfortunate stutterer has no longer to dread the misemployed zeal of surgical operators, and now it is even his own fault when he allows himself to fall into the hands of ignorant charlatans. Without lessening the value of former discoveries, I will say that the specialist of to-day must disagree with the most eminent authors and the most prominent works on that question, including Velpeau, Amussat, Becquerel, Lenbuscher, Bèclard, Bristowe, etc., and arrive at the conclusion that their testimony was one-sided, being confined to their own or few cases, and limited to mere theory and speculation. For the treatment of vices of speech, with the indispensable knowledge, long and practical experience alone will instruct what is the right method to pursue. The various theories on the nature and causes of that infirmity, and the enumeration of the different responsible organs may be, at the same time, partly false and partially true; but they have proved powerless to cure or relieve.