Named in memory of Marin Cureau de la Chambre (1594–1669), a doctor of medicine and author of several scientific works. In 1635 he became one of the first members of the prestigious Académie Française and will be remembered for his Traité de la Connaisance des Animaux (1647), a work that made clear that animals, like humans, have feelings, knowledge and thoughts. (M 30478) _ _.