A morcellator is a surgical instrument used for division and removal of large masses of tissues during laparoscopic surgery. In laparoscopic hysterectomy the uterus is minced up, or morcellated, into smaller pieces inside the woman's belly cavity in order to extract from the abdomen.
What disease does Steven Hawking suffer from? He has a muscular dystrophy cognate to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the latter being also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Edit
The Luminaries Series presentation also featured evolutionary rap and modern dance, but Hawking was clearly the headliner. Part of Hawking's appeal is that he just keeps going, and going, and going, despite his disability. He's lived for decades with a progressively paralyzing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.