That Mothers Might Live

That Mothers Might Live
Directed byFred Zinnemann
Written byHerman Boxer
Produced byJohn Nesbitt
StarringShepperd Strudwick
CinematographyHarold Rosson
Music byDavid Snell
Distributed byMGM
Release date
  • April 30, 1938 (1938-04-30)
Running time
10 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

That Mothers Might Live is a 1938 American short drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann. In 1939, at the 11th Academy Awards, it won an Oscar for Best Short Subject (One-Reel).[1][2]

The short is a brief account of Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis and his discovery of the need for cleanliness in 19th-century maternity wards, thereby significantly decreasing maternal mortality, and of his struggle to gain acceptance of his idea.[3] Although Semmelweis ultimately failed in his lifetime, later scientific luminaries advanced his work in spirit like microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who provided a scientific theoretical explanation of Semmelweis' observations by helping develop the germ theory of disease, and Dr. Joseph Lister, who revolutionized medicine by putting Pasteur's research to practical use.

  1. ^ "The 11th Academy Awards (1939) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  2. ^ "New York Times: That Mothers Might Live". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2011. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  3. ^ "That Mothers Might Live". TopTenREVIEWS. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.