TESLA AND TWAIN AND TWAIN’S WHITE SUIT. There is a story about Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla, and Twain’s white suit which shows up in various forms on the internet. Here is a version by Juliana Adelman in the Irish Times which gives an idea of the science involved in the story: “The most famous account of Clemens’s participation in an experiment is when he spent too long on an electromechanical oscillator ( a vibrating plate) that Tesla thought might be medically therapeutic. The plate acted as a strong laxative and Clemens had to rush for the toilet.”
In some versions, Twain enjoys the sensation of being on the electromechanical oscillator for too long; in some, Tesla is trying to cure Twain’s constipation. The versions illustrate Twain’s interest in Tesla’s technological advances.