An ointment base is prepared by heating a mixture including at least one normally liquid polyhydroxy alcohol, water, and a water-dispersible alkylated cellulose to produce a clear liquid, the amount of polyhydroxy alcohol exceeding the amount of alkylated cellulose, cooling the resulting mixture to form a gel structure, and incorporating a mineral oil and a dispersing agent for such oil into the mixture.  The alkylated cellulose may be dispersed in water prior to mixing with the polyhydroxy alcohol. The mineral oil and the dispersing agent (preferably premixed) may be added to the mixture containing the alkylated cellulose and polyhydroxy alcohol while this mixture is, or has been heated to a temperature above that of gel formation.  The preferred polyhydroxy alcohols are a triethylene glycol having a molecular weight of 150, tetra-ethylene glycol, pentaethylene glycol, hexaethylene or octa-ethylene glycols having molecular weights of 282 and 415 respectively, or other polyethylene glycols having molecular weights up to 900, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol and glycerine.  Specified alkylated celluloses are hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and the glycollic acid ethers of cellulose and their sodium, aluminium or other metal salts. The mineral oil may be deodorized kerosene, light and heavy lubricating oils, petrolatums, solid paraffins, earth waxes and other paraffinic or naphthenic hydrocarbons or their admixtures. The dispersing agent may be an oil soluble phospholipoid such as corn oil, cotton-seed oil, or soya bean phosphatides, lecithins, cephalins, cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, glyceryl monostearate, sorbitol monolaurate, and nonaethylene glycol monostearate. These ointment bases are compatible with ichthyol, balsam tolu, lanolin, wood tar, iodine, weak and strong acids, alkalies, aluminium chloride, silver nitrate, silver iodide, silver oxide, sulphur, zinc oxide, zinc sulphide, alkaline polysulphides and bismuth hydroxide, and are solvents for sulphanilamide, sulphathiazole, sulphapyridine, gramicidin, tyrothricin, streptothricin, benzolaine, menthol, methyl salicylate, camphor, chorobutanol, phenothiazine, stilbestrol, estradiol, vitamins A and D, stropine, homatropine, methylene blue, phenol, tannic acid, isobornyl thio-cyanoacetate, and essential oils. The ointments are also compatible with insecticides or insect repellants such as D.D.T. and dimethyl phthalate.ALSO:An ointment base is prepared by heating a mixture including at least one normally liquid polyhydroxy alcohol, water, and a water-dispersible alkylated cellulose to produce a clear liquid, the amount of polyhydroxy alcohol exceeding the amount of alkylated cellulose, cooling the resulting mixture to form a gel structure, and incorporating a mineral oil and a dispersing agent for such oil into the mixture. The alkylated cellulose may be dispersed in water prior to mixing with the polyhydroxy alcohol. The mineral oil and the dispersing agent (preferably premixed) may be added to the mixture containing the alkylated cellulose and polyhydroxy alcohol while this mixture is, or has been heated to a temperature above that of gel formation. The preferred polyhydroxy alcohols are a triethylene glycol having a molecular weight of 150, tetraethylene glycol, pentaethylene glycol, hexaethylene or octaethylene-glycols having molecular weights of 282 and 415 respectively, or other polyethylene glycols having molecular weights up to 900, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol and glycerine. Specified alkylated celluloses are hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and the glycollic acid ethers of cellulose and their sodium aluminium or other metal salts.  The mineral oil may be deodorized kerosene, light and heavy lubricating oils, petrolatums, solid paraffins, earth waxes and other paraffinic or napthenic hydrocarbons or their admixtures. The dispersing agent may be an oil soluble phospholiped such as corn oil, cotton seed oil, or soya bean phosphatides, lecithins, cephalins, cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, glyceryl monostearate, sorbitol monolaurate, and nonaethylene glycol monostearate.  These ointment bases are compatible with ichthyol, balsam tolu, lanolin, wood tar, iodine, weak and strong acids, alkalies, aluminium chloride, silver nitrate, silver iodide, silver oxide, sulphur, zinc oxide, zinc sulphide, alkaline polysulphides and bismuth hydroxide and are solvents for sulphanilamide, sulphathiazole, sulphapyridine, gramicicdin, tyrothricin, streptothricin, benzocaine, menthol, methyl salicylate, camphor, chlorobutanol, phenothiazine, stilbestrol, estradiol, vitamins A and D, stropine, homatropine, methylene blue, phenol, tannic acid, isobornyl thio-cyano-acetate, and essential oils.  The ointments are also compatible with insecticides or insect repellants such as D.D.T. and dimethyl phthalate.