That Mothers Might Live

That Mothers Might Live
Directed by	Fred Zinnemann
Written by	Herman Boxer
Produced by	John Nesbitt
Starring	Shepperd Strudwick
Cinematography	Harold Rosson
Music by	David Snell
Distributed by	MGM
Release date	April 30, 1938 (1938-04-30)
Running time	10 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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).

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. 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.

Cast

• Shepperd Strudwick as Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis (as Sheppard Strudwick)
• John Nesbitt as Narrator (voice)

External links

• That Mothers Might Live at IMDb