BACKGROUND: Each Division in the German Army of WWII had Divisional Support units which included a medical unit that normally consisted of two companies, a mobile field hospital and two ambulance platoons. Within these medical units EM’s and Junior NCO’s with basic medical training acted as medical orderlies or stretcher bearers under the command of Doctors with Officers ranks. The German army also maintained static hospitals in the rear areas for those with more severe wounds and those with the most serious injuries that would require long rehabilitation times would be sent to a hospital in their home military recruiting district within Germany. Generally the German field units preferred to care for their own wounded as much as possible as a convalescents transferred to a rear area static military or home military district hospital could potentially be dispatched to a new unit on their recovery. As a result most of the Divisional medical support units maintained a generous supply of medical equipment and accessories to provide the most favorable "in-house" care as possible. Among the medical equipment and accessories were a wide variety of bandages, wound dressings and basic first-aid items. One of the basic first-aid items were tubes of boric/boracic ointment which is a mineral compound of sodium, boron and oxygen and can be used as a soap substitute or as an antiseptic.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 3" tall, heavy, natural aluminum foil construction tube with black printed script and a molded black bakelite screw off cap. The tube has a folded crimped bottom edge and the screw off cap has vertical grooves for ease of handling. The black printed Gothic script includes, "Borsalbe Wehrkreissanitätspark IX Kassel". (Boric Ointment Military Area Medical Depot IX Kassel). The tube also has additional printed script, "Leere Tuben sammeln!", (Salvage empty tubes!). The tube is slightly wrinkled but is still full. Neat medical accessory.

GRADE ****                             PRICE $19.00