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 Dr. Peter Witt, medical researcher

BY STEVE SWINDELL STAff WRITER maGH–·Dr-PeterN;·Witt, who·· became world-famous for his research with spiders and psyche­ delic drugs and was known in the ‘lnangle for his exotic menagerie in Knightdale, died ‘1\tesda)t He was 80. “He was a man of courage when it was dangerous to be so, of bold. ness in his experiments and of gen­erosity with his colleagues, stu­dents and friends,” said Charles Reed of Philadelphia, who worked with Witt in the 1960s and remained a friend for the rest of Witt’s life. Bom in :Berlin, Witt was educat­ ed in Germany and Austria and was studying medicine·at the University of Tuebingen during World Warn. When he was given a German army Wliform and ordered to the Russian front, he burned the clothing and joined an underground group of doctors who treated civilian casu­ alties of the Allied bombing cam­paigns on German cities. After the war, he moved to Bem, Switzerland, where a Life magazine article drew the world’s attention to.Witt’s work involving spiders. He discovered that psychoactive  e had done in his leisure time. He moved his family to a 35-acre farm in Knightdale, where he raised sheep, goats and a variety of exotic .\ animals, including the guanaco, a large llamalike bird, that escaped from the farm and became a local legend. I When Witt realized that he could ‘. no longer lift a bale of hay, he bought a house in the Cameron Village area. He later built anoth- er house in the same area and cul- tivat.ed a wild garden. Among his lifelong interests were art, music and entertaining friends and neighbors at his home. He pJa.ved cello and once inherit.eel and sold a van Gogh painting. “He was a man interested in a great many things, bis research, his art, his music, family and friends.” Reed said. Witt is survived by his wife, Inge; and two daught.ers, Elise and Mary. ·, In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Duke