photo #8764507

Pic #1 - Recognize it? That's Tesla's 1st Mechanical Oscillator a.k.a Earthquake machine. A tiny piston inside would bounce up and down causing vibrations. Mark Twain's battle with depression led him to seek unconventional treatments in Nikola Tesla's laboratory. Among their most famous escapades was Tesla's vibrational therapy experiment using his oscillator. Tesla was curious about whether the vibrations might have some sort of beneficial therapeutic effect, and once, when Twain was visiting, he asked if he could try the oscillator out (similar to Pic #2). Tesla knew Twain was prone to digestive issues and proposed the experiment as a way to cure his friend. Twain got on the oscillator, and he reportedly enjoyed the effects, saying that it left him feeling invigorated and full of vitality. Despite Tesla’s repeated suggestions, the author refused to get off the machine as he was enjoying the feeling — until he had to make a mad dash for the bathroom. Apparently, Tesla’s oscillating machine also worked well as a laxative. *So there you have it, Nikola Tesla already figured out how to use vibrational therapy back in the 1890's when it's just being introduced today! Twain would visit Tesla’s lab for years, and the men’s lively minds made for good company. They tried new experiments and at one time, Tesla shot an x-ray gun at Twain’s head!