 He coined biological terms such as "chromatin", "neuroglia", "agenesis", "parenchyma", "osteoid", "amyloid degeneration", and "spina bifida"; terms such as Virchow's node, Virchow–Robin spaces, Virchow–Seckel syndrome, and Virchow's triad are named after him.His description of the life cycle of a roundworm "Trichinella spiralis" influenced the practice of meat inspection.He developed the first systematic method of autopsy, and introduced hair analysis in forensic investigation.