Happy Birthday, Professor Hawking

Published on Wednesday, 18 January 2012 10:28

	By Mark Shadbolt Follow @Mark_Shadbolt

Despite having motor neuron disease (MND), being entirely wheelchair-bound and having no ability to use his voice, Stephen Hawking once said: “My disability has not been a serious handicap”.

He put this in the acknowledgements of his famous 1988 book, A Brief History of Time. The fact that Hawking sees his body's disease as no serious problem shines light upon the mind of Professor Hawking.

He is known primarily for his work on a much deeper understanding of black holes, using Einstein's theory of gravity to predict that they give off radiation.

As with many notable scientists, he began his research into the science on a universal and sub-atomic level with the intention of chasing the big questions: where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end?

His work on black holes is mysterious to many, perhaps even more so than Einstein's description of the universe. This is because his work lies in the strange quantum-physical world.

He created a mathematical model which helps Einstein's theory of general relativity provide a set of conditions in which a black hole – or “gravitational singularity” - can exist.

His mind was exceptional long before his body began to deteriorate. He was already in Cambridge University where he studied under increasing impediment caused by MND.

He became one of the youngest fellows of the Royal Society in at the age of 32, this was witnessed by the great advocator of science Dr Carl Sagan who said:

“In the front row a young man in a wheelchair was, very slowly, signing his name in a book that bore on its earliest pages the signature of Isaac Newton. Stephen Hawking was a legend even then.”

He has written a number of books for both the scientific and lay audience, with some success, notable among which is the ironically named A Brief History of Time.

This book was a best-seller world-wide. He had written books in the past, notable in scientific circles, but in A Brief History of Time, he remarked that they were, “highly technical, and quite unreadable. I hope that since then I have learned how to write in a manner that is easier to understand.”

Of course, as a populariser of science he is very successful despite lacking the smiling, gesticulating persona of Professor Brian Cox, making made numerous scientific documentaries for Channel 4, most recently being Brave New World.

This programme focuses on what mankind's next leaps forward will be, in the true spirit of scientific progress, something dear to a medically-dependent individual.

However, it is certain that Hawking's disability has featured heavily in his relative fame, and, similarly, his inspirational status.

He suffers from an exceptionally mild form of Motor Neuron Disease; normally the life expectancy of a sufferer is five years. Hawking has lived with the disease for 50.

Professor Colin Blakemore, President of the Motor Neurone Disease Association said: “Stephen Hawking has succeeded at the very highest level in the face of huge adversity. His courage, his fortitude and his commitment serve as a shining example to all who have to deal with the disadvantage and suffering of neurological disorders.”

Throughout his life, the progression of his illness has necessitated care of all types, he acknowledged that: “Apart from being unlucky enough to get motor neuron disease, I have been fortunate in almost every other respect.

“I was fortunate in that I chose theoretical physics, because that is all in the mind. I owe a lot to my research students, who have given me a great deal of help, in both the physical and theoretical senses of the word.”

His humble thanks, his dedicated work and his stunning impact in the world of physics are rewarded to him in many ways. He is a household name, seriously respected and is frequently cited as a genius of our time.

We are lucky to have someone whose contribution to our collective knowledge is comparable to that of Einstein and Newton. His 30 year stint as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge only helps to qualify his achievement.

To respect him is not only to respect a disabled man who has done the disabled people proud, but to respect as disabled man who has done his country and his discipline proud, too.

Relevant Links

Motor Neurone Disease Association

A Brief History of Time