Rex Amonette, MD, revels in the science of medicine. As a dermatologist, he treats patients with melanomas, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Skin cancer can grow on any part of the skin, from the ears and scalp to arms and legs, anywhere, perhaps, except the soles of the feet. For many years, the standard way of removing a cancer from the skin was to cut it away or use radiation therapy. Doctors then relied on their observational skills to determine whether the procedure had been a success.

 

But when Amonette opened the Memphis Dermatology Clinic in 1972 (in an elegantly designed building on Union Avenue, most recognizable for the Ted Rust sculptures that adorn its facade), he approached skin cancer treatment in an entirely new way. As a specialist in the Mohs Micrographic surgery, Amonette embarked on a technique that today has become the gold standard of skin cancer care. What sets the Mohs procedure apart is that it surgically removes a tumor layer by layer. Each layer of tissue is sectioned, mapped, and examined under the microscope to determine whether cancer cells are still present. The procedure is less invasive and nearly 98 percent successful. Amonette was the first to use the Mohs procedure in the Mid-South and only the second dermatologist nationally to be fellowship trained. He was a trail blazer in his field. Today, more than 900 physicians have followed suit, 25 of whom were trained here in Memphis under Amonette's watchful eye.

 

As he walks into the lab, Amonette pulls out several snapshots of a patient who was treated earlier that afternoon for an angry, teacup-sized lesion at the back of the head. Because of the size of the squamous cell cancer, the operation was an all-day affair. Amonette points to the mapping done of the lesion, and information gleaned from examination under the microscope. Drawings on small slips of paper indicate how the affected area has cleared during the course of treatment. It is careful, methodical work. But ultimately, this patient will leave his office cancer-free once the surgery is completed.

 

Named for its creator, Frederick Mohs, MD, the surgical procedure was developed while Mohs was still in med school, where he tested it on animals before treating his first patient in 1936. Mohs later trained Perry Robins, MD, in the procedure. Robins, who taught at the New York University Medical Center, was the first to share Mohs' technique with other dermatologists. Amonette studied under Robins during a post-residency fellowship at NYU in 1970. He was the second fellowship-trained physician in the country to learn the procedure. “Dr. Mohs was neither a dermatologist nor a surgeon,” noted Amonette. “He just had this idea as a student how to rout skin cancer which turned out to be quite effective.” But his idea wasn't readily embraced by the medical community. It would take doctors like Amonette to spread the word.

 

Amonette returned to practice in Memphis, and launched a fellowship program of his own. For 25 years, he trained one physician annually in the Mohs procedure. His students are now scattered across the country. “Because of this procedure, we have successful treatment of skin cancer. This procedure is now used in Europe, South America, and South Africa,” he said. He contributed to the advancement of the procedure and assisted the medical community in other ways, serving as president of both the Memphis Medical Society and the American Academy of Dermatology.

 

“Service is so important,” he said. “It helped me because so many physicians were involved and some were interested in learning more about skin cancer. It gave me an opportunity to talk with them and helped to make inroads in understanding skin cancer.”

 

The son of a peach farmer from Nashville, Ark., Amonette didn't know any doctors growing up, other than the family physician. But he had ambition and drive. He studied pre-med at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., and completed his medical degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. While his clinic started out as a family affair — his wife and cousin assisted in the practice — it soon grew to include nine Mohs surgeons and a staff of 50.

 

The prevalence of untreated skin cancer has gradually lessened over Amonette's lifetime, thanks to a heightened awareness of the sun's damaging rays. “I still see many skin cancers, but not nearly as many extremely large malignancies as we once did, because it's being treated earlier.”

 

When asked what he hopes to leave as his legacy, Amonette paused briefly before answering, “I hope to be known for making a difference for my family, my patients, and the community.” With both his daughter and her husband now a part of his practice, he looks forward to retirement and having more time to spend at home with his wife and gardens. While he's done his part to combat skin cancer, Amonette hasn't thrown out the evidence of those battles. The slides of every patient his clinic has treated still sit as a silent testament to his dedication, in the basement of his clinic in Midtown.