It is necessary to warn the practitioner against certain commonly recommended applications for burns. Carron oil (a mixture of linseed oil and lime water), for example, is a filthy application; poultices or water dressings and dusting with flour are equally bad. The wound must be treated aseptically as far as possible, as sepsis is the primary cause of death in a large number of deep burns.
Another worrisome aspect of this message involves the Vietnam veteran's tale of tossing flour on a burning man. In fact, throwing flour or other powdery substances onto naked flame would be an extremely bad idea. Information on WiseGeek notes:
Flour explodes when its particles become suspended in the air in a dust cloud and are then ignited. The starch molecules burn relatively quickly, and it is their rapid expansion in the presence of heat that causes an explosion. Ignition is most common in the presence of a flame or heat source, though spontaneous combustion has been documented when the cloud is large enough.