Stephen Hawking, the renowned British mathematician known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity (especially in the context of black holes), was taken to the hospital yesterday (Monday) and was very ill, according to a statement from the Cambridge University where he is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.    

 

The very well known mathematician has been fighting a chest infection over the past couple of weeks and has been receiving treatment for the infection at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

 

Gregory Hayman, Cambridge University’s head of communications said to the press: "Professor Hawking is very ill. He is undergoing tests. He has been unwell for a couple of weeks.”

 

Later, the university’s head of communications said that Mr. Hawking was comfortable and that he will remain hospitalized overnight. An update on the mathematician’s health was expected this morning. 

 

The news about Stephen Hawking’s health complications has drawn mass traffic to the mathematician’s personal Web site. The administrators of Hawking’s Web site decided to take the pages off line and replace the Web site pages with a brief statement about the mathematician’s admittance to the hospital. 

 

Due to the illness, Stephen Hawking was forced to cancel an appearance at Arizona State University on April 6.

 

Stephen Hawking, 67, gained fame for his work in the field of black holes. Despite that fact that he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), an incurable degenerative disorder, the mathematician remained active. Mr. Hawking is almost completely paralyzed. He communicates through an electronic voice synthesizer activated by his fingers.

 

Stephen Hawking, one of the most famous cosmologists in the world, and author of the popular science book A Brief History of Time, which has sold 9 million copies, currently occupies the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics which was occupied by Isaac Newton in the 17th century. Mr. Hawking was supposed to leave the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics to a successor in the 2009 academic year. 

 

The British mathematician also gained fame for his works of poplar science in which he approached his own theories and cosmology issues. The best known work is A Brief History of Time, which seized the spot of British Sunday Times bestseller for a record 237 weeks. He is also known for his theorems about singularities in the general relativity framework as well as the theoretical prediction that black holes should emit radiation, which is today known as Hawking radiation.

 

The statue of Stephen Hawking was unveiled in May 2008 at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cape Town. Also, a Stephen Hawking Museum was opened in San Salvador.