In his Investigations on the development of the base of the skull in healthy and diseased conditions, and on the influence of the same upon skull form, facial structure and brain formation Virchow laid the foundation for an anatomical treatment of craniology, identifying "as a problem for investigation the relationship between the shape of the skull, the facial structure and the formation of the brain. His conclusion was that all typical variations in facial structure rest chiefly upon differences in the formation of the base of the skull." (Arthur E. R. Boak, "Rudolf Virchow. Anthropologist and Archeologist," The Scientific Monthly, 13, 1921, 41.)

In this work Virchow also first described "Chordoma", a rare type of bone cancer, and "Platybasia", an abnormal flattening of the base of the skull. The work included 6 colored plates. Digital facsimile from Google Books at this link.