Arabic version: دفن ماكس دريسيغ بعد عرضه في المتحف

According to The Guardian, the remains of Johann David Max Dreyssig, a German immigrant whose skeleton was displayed at the South Australian Museum for almost 80 years, were buried in Adelaide on Saturday. Dreyssig died of cancer aged 62 in 1913, and his remains were sold to the museum for £10 in 1920.

The museum and Adelaide’s German community organised the burial at West Terrace cemetery. Dreyssig’s remains were placed in a small casket draped with the German flag, and a Lutheran pastor read last rites before the burial. A wake at Adelaide’s German Club followed, where about 20 people gathered to remember his life and the journey his remains took after his death.

Anna Russo, the museum’s repatriation manager, said that laws in 1913 did not allow people to donate their bodies to doctors. She said the museum had to consider what dignity and respect meant for Dreyssig in light of that history. The museum worked with the SA German Association to seek relatives, but found none; Dreyssig’s family line had ended in 1960.

Dreyssig received the Iron Cross for bravery after serving in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. He moved to Australia in 1885 and became part of Adelaide’s German community, working as an iron and steel merchant. His skeleton was put on display in 1942 to teach students about human anatomy, removed from display in 2019, and is now buried with what the museum board chair, Dr Rob Saint, said was the dignity Dreyssig deserved.