After the bloodyBattle of Shilohduring the early American Civil War , over 16,000 soldier were left wounded on the muddy fields of Southwestern Tennessee . Memoirs of soldier that survived recall the cries of bruise humans as they struggled to survive during torrential soaker and the swampland ’s many horrors . subject to antique weapons system and pike , their wounding would be heart-to-heart to the constituent , allow the men vulnerable to an array of mortal infections that would seize the chance and deliver the terminal shock .
Yet , as if by some divine treatment , many of these Isle of Man would not break in this sick mode . alternatively , concord to witness accounts , their wounds began to glow .
James Dinwiddie , also known as Doctor Dinwiddie , was a Confederate military surgeon who witness the Battle of Shiloh and this paranormal phenomenon . Dinwiddie watched first hired man as workforce conk out in countless number , but also others whose wound began to fluoresce in the tempestuous precondition . Despite many carrying life - threatening injuries , the men with these beam wounds appeared to survive in greater numbers than their more inauspicious counterparts .
This phenomenon would soon be etched in fable as " Angels Glow " .
With such a heavy accent on Christianity at the prison term , it is perceivable why the scenes described were attributed to a higher being . However , aduo of high schoolhouse studentsmay have since retrieve a scientific explanation , suggest it was not a God from above that saved the soldiers , but a helpful microbe from the land .
Bioluminescent Bacteria
Supervised by microbiologist Phyllis Martin , Bill Martin ( her son ) and Jonathan Curtis embarked on an expedition to see the lineage of Angels Glow as part of a skill research project . Bill was fascinated by the Civil War and had hear about the stories of burn wounds and their increase survival rate .
They discovered that the likely explanation was the presence of a bioluminescent bacteria that go in nematodes , calledPhotorhabdus luminescens . This friendly little bacterium glows a vivid blue color , which would explain the angelic glowing of the injure soldier , and is harmless to humans . That is n’t to say it is loved by all beast – P.luminescensis a pernicious pathogen to insects , riding in the nematode worm ’ bowel into insect hosts before rapidly toss off them . But its presence in soil - dwell roundworm could explicate their appearing in the Battle of Shiloh , as the man laid in the churned - up globe .
Have a look for yourself in the Tweet below , depicting a grub infected with a nematode worm and the bioluminescentP. luminescens .
However , what is truly remarkable about this bacterium is how it may have really helped salvage those soldiers ’ lives.P.luminescensis a fierce competitor when it arrive to colonize legion , fighting off other bacterium species by release a compound that has antibiotic properties . This allows it to take full advantage of the host without having to fight for the spoils with other species . Alongside this , the compound also facilitate prevent rotting of the insect corpses thatP.luminescenskills , and it may have done the same to the soldiers ’ wounds .
Therefore , it ’s possible that the Angels Glow describe by Civil War doctors and soldiers may have been a bacterial specie simultaneously fight down off infection and keep the rotting of wounds until Doctor could arrive , all whilst radiate to demonstrate their otherworldly healing . By this item in time , thegerm theory of diseasehad not caught a strong bridgehead in science , so they were never to know – but looking back , it is truly gripping to see a classic example of mutualistic mutualism in such a outstanding means .
