Wound-covering materials

A process of treating a burn comprising applying to the surface of the burn a water-insoluble gel produced by applying an aqueous solution containing a polyvinyl alcohol with a degree of hydrolysis not less than 95 mol.% and a viscosity-average degree of polymerization not less than 1,500, a water-soluble C.sub.2-20 polyhydric alcohol having 2-8 hydroxyl groups in the molecule and a high-viscosity water-soluble substance having a viscosity in 2% aqueous solution not lower than 300 cP at 25.degree. C. selected from the group consisting of propylene-glycol ester of alginic acid, tragacanth gum, puleulan, arabia gum, gatty fum, karaya gum, dextrin, starch, Dioscoreaceae mucous substance, mucous Malvaceae, furcellaran, curdlan, methylcellulose, guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthan gum, agar, carrageenan, fucoidin, alginic acid, sodium alginate, alginic acid triethanolamine, pectin, agarose, carboxymethylcellulose, tamarind gum, gelatin, polyacrylic acid, sodium polyacrylate, polymethacrylic acid, polyvinylsulfonic acid, polyvinylpyridine, polyethylenimine, vinylimidazole-itaconic acid copolymer, poly (2,4-pentadiene-1-ol) and poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone), concentrations of said polyvinyl alcohol, said water-soluble polyhydric alcohol and said water-soluble high viscosity substance being adjusted respectively to 1.5-8% by weight, 10-85% by weight and 0.2-15% by weight, onto a flat or curved plate having 30,000-200,000 projections per m.sup.2, the total area occupied by the projections being 10-70% to a thickness from 0.5 to 5 mm, cooling the applied plate to a temperature not higher than -6.degree. C. to solidify the solution and then subjecting the resulting mass to vacuum dehydration to a ratio of dehydration from 5% by weight to 95% by weight.