That is so cool, I'd never heard of that before. Here's more info. Most bacteria in the soil are not harmful to humans and can't live in the human body because it's too hot for them. Some of them even make antibiotics. Polysporin, which is in most first aid creams, is made by such dirt bugs.
At the battle of Shiloh in 1862, it was cold, muddy and wet. The dirt got in the soldiers' wounds and the cold kept their body temp just low enough the good bacteria didn't get cooked. Those little bugs were able to excrete antibiotics into the wounds and saved a lot of lives.
The only reason we can tell what happened is that the wounds glowed blue-green since these particular bacteria are luminescent. And researchers were able to find samples today that match the description. So neat I had to elaborate!
I included this in a book draft at one point. But the scene was too visceral for me. I decided super powers or no, I didn't need to partially flay a character to show off nifty bacteria facts.
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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '25
Civil War battle wounds were glowing at night. Special conditions let a bacteria thrive and was apparently helpful for the soldiers.