The 'old recipe' for the salve used in the burn compresses that were utilized around the time of the Second World War called for the following ingredients: 1/2 part of Protonsil rubrum (brand name of sulfamidochrysoidine, an early antibacterial sulfonamide), 5 parts Anaesthesin (brand name of benzocaine, a local anaesthetic), 5 parts crude zinc oxide, 3 parts of the eucalyptus oil mixed with petroleum jelly and yellow wax in 8:1:1 ratio, and 86.5 parts of Vaseline and yellow wax (eucalyptus oil, especially old, possibly contributed to the mentioned smell). The ingredients were then melted in a water bath, and the gauze strip or bandage (usually 20x100 cm in size, at least in the case of those packed in the red-white tubes) were dipped in the mixture and dried. Later, the gauze was additionally inserted between two additional layers of gauze to protect the salve and increase the robustness of the compress itself. On average, the compress contained of 70-80 grams of the salve and three strips of gauze. Finished compresses were then wrapped in the waxed paper and packed in the metal boxes with a label containing the instructions of use. Depending on the period and manufacturer, the boxes were usually either square or round tube closed with a cap to facilitate easy access.

In addition, there was also another type of the burn wound dressing, usually referred to as 'Bismuth bandage' (ger. Wismut-Binde) that was a bandage soaked in the petroleum jelly with addition of the bismuth-based antiseptic, possibly bismuth tribromophenate or a similar compound. According to some contemporary doctors, the antiseptic properties of these dressings were considered superior to those containing Protonsil, although it seems that the bismuth-based products (bandages and powder, mostly) were used during the hospitalization, when the analgesics could have been administered independently of dressings.

So, the role of the 'burn compress' was to serve as a wound dressing preventing further contamination, as burns are especially susceptible for infection with its main active ingredients providing relatively quick analgesic effect thanks to the benzocaine content and additional antibacterial effect thanks to the presence of sulfonamide. The zinc oxide was used to keep the area dry, as the medical practice at the time recommended the relative drying of the burn area because of the assumption that moisture might facilitate bacterial growth. Today, the opposite is practiced and the wound and surrounding skin is not dried, as it was found to inhibit the healing process, and modern antiseptics complete with high hygiene standards are enough to keep the wound area disinfected.

It is worth noting that the composition and intended usage of the compress described here is consistent with indication for the first help in the circumstances that prevent reasonably fast access to hospitalization of advanced help and the contamination risk is high. Today, although the most common form of burn dressing is the hydrocolloidal compress, sometimes in conjunction with hydrofibrous dressings, compresses quite similar to the one described above are still used to protect the wound from contamination and infection until better help can be administered and usually have a form of a bandage or gauze dipped in paraffin containing antiseptic compounds, such as chlorhexidine.

Behrendt, K.P., Die Kriegschirurgie von 1939-1945 aus der Sicht der Beratenden Chirurgen des deutschen Heeres im Zweiten Weltkrieg [Military surgery in 1939-1945 as seen by consulting surgeons of the German Army during the Second World War] (doctoral thesis), Albert Ludwig University, Freiburg, 2003.

List, P.H., Hörhammer, L. (Eds.), Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis: Arzneiformen und Hilfsstoffe, Teil A: Arzneiformen [Hager's Handbook of Pharmaceutical Practice: Medicine Types and Auxiliary Materials, Part A: Medicine Types], Springer, Berlin 1970.