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“Donati’s Comet.”
The image of Donati’s comet included in the printed book is a detail of William Turner’s Donati’s Comet, 1858.
“…misty splendor…”
The Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, VA), October 5, 1858, p. 2.
“…a state of commotion…”
The New York Times, October 11, 1858, p. 1.
“…a race toward the horizon…”
Arcturus is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes. The New York Times, October 11, 1858, p. 1.
“The owner of a large telescope…”
The New York Daily Herald, October 10, 1858, p. 1.
“…paid six cents…”
The New York Daily Herald, October 10, 1858, p. 1.
“…a mere toy—the microscope.”
See “…so was the microscope promising,” above.
Sims viewing Donati’s comet through a telescope is likely given that he had been interested in the Arsenal building for Woman’s Hospital, and the structure stands very close to where this telescope was said to have been set up. It’s not hard to imagine how the view of the comet could have inspired his use of the microscope, which would commence shortly. Furthermore, Sims’s comment here, in 1868, that a mere ten years ago he would have thought of a microscope as a toy, tracks perfectly with the appearance of Donati’s comet in 1858.
“Illustrations of the Value of the Microscope in the Treatment of the Sterile Condition,” J. Marion Sims, British Medical Journal, October 31, 1868, p. 465.
“…on July 20.”
The New York Tribune (New York, NY), July 20, 1860, p. 6. July 23, 1860, was a Monday; the previous Friday was the 20th.
“…a disc twice as large as the moon…”
The Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, VA), July 24, 1860, p. 1.
“…two burning balls…”
The New York Tribune (New York, NY), July 23, 1860, p. 6.
“…a balloon afire…”
The New York Tribune (New York, NY), July 23, 1860, p. 6.