That Mothers Might Live

Overview

That Mothers Might Live is a 1938 American short drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann. 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 the British surgeon, Dr. Joseph Lister who revolutionized medicine putting Pasteur's research to practical use. In 1939, at the 11th Academy Awards, the film won an Oscar for Best Short Subject (One-Reel).

Keywords

Cast

John Nesbitt

Narrator (voice)

Shepperd Strudwick

Dr. Semmelweis

Rudolph Anders

Doctor (uncredited)

King Baggot

Passerby (uncredited)

William Bailey

Passerby (uncredited)

Barbara Bedford

Nun Reading Book (uncredited)

Ralph Brooks

Medical Student at Lecture (uncredited)

Mary Howard

Young Stricken Mother (uncredited)

Leonard Penn

Semmelweis' Assistant (uncredited)

Beatrice Roberts

Passerby (uncredited)