Marin Cureau de la Chambre (1594 – 29 December 1669) was a French physician andphilosopher born inSaint-Jean-d'Assé, a village nearLe Mans.
Details of his youth and where he attended school are unknown. He was initially a physician inLe Mans, and around 1630 moved toParis, where he became a friend and physician toPierre Séguier (1588–1672). Afterwards, he was amédecin ordinaire toLouis XIV. Reportedly the monarch was impressed by Cureau de la Chambre's ability to judge human character based on physical appearance.
Marin Cureau de la Chambre is largely known for his work inphysiognomy. Between 1640 and 1662 he published a five-volume study on mans' character and "passions" calledCaractères des passions. He wrote articles on many other topics, includingpalmistry,digestion, "reasoning" in animals,occult practices andoptics. On the latter subject he investigated the nature of light and color,refractions, and the possibility ofprimary andsecondary colors. He was the author of books onphilosophy, and published a translation ofAristotle'sPhysica.
In 1634 he became an early member of theAcadémie française, and in 1666 was an original member of theFrench Academy of Sciences. He was the father ofclergymanPierre Cureau de La Chambre (1640–1693) and ofFrançois Cureau de La Chambre (1630-1680) who succeeded him at the Botanical Garden(Jardin des Plantes)..[1] He died in Paris on December 29, 1669.
In 1991astronomerEric Walter Elst named theasteroid7126 Cureau after Marin Cureau de la Chambre.
