 Polemon of Laodicea, writer of a treatise on physiognomy, described Favorinus as "a eunuch born without testicles", beardless and with a high pitched, thin voice, while Philostratos described him as a hermaphrodite.Mason and others thus describe Favorinus as having an intersex trait.Retief and Cilliers suggest that the descriptions available are consistent with Reifenstein's syndrome (androgen insensitivity syndrome).