
That Mothers Might Live
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).
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6.2/10
12 votes
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- English
- infection
- death in childbirth
- washing hands
- germs
- maternity
- child birth
- sanitation
Top billed cast










Behind the camera
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Release dates
United StatesUS
- Theatrical30 Apr 1938
Frequently asked questions
That Mothers Might Live was released on 30 April 1938.
Audience reviews
1- C6/10
CinemaSerf
6/28/2025
There isn’t any dialogue in this short feature, just an increasingly frenzied narration as Sheppherd Strudwick portrays the visionary Austrian physician Ignaz Semmelweis. He was a man determined to establish just why so many perfectly healthy women died so swiftly after childbirth - but with no obvious cause. Gradually, he began to realise that it might be the doctors themselves who were carrying diseases about their…
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