The following except is from Bacteria in Daily Life by Mrs. Percy Frankland (1903).

Amongst some of the curiosities to be found on the shelves of microbe-museums may be mentioned bacteria which give out light, and thus, like glowworms, reveal themselves in the dark. These light-bacteria were originally discovered on the bodies of sea creatures, and cultures of them have been successfully photographed, the only source of light being that provided by the bacilli themselves. The amount of light _____ by a single bacillus might indeed defy detection by the most sensitive plate procurable, but when gathered in multitudes, the magnitude of which even eight figures fail to express, these phosphorescent bacteria enable the dial of a watch to be easily read in the dark.