That Mothers Might Live poster

That Mothers Might Live( 1938)

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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).

    Top Billed Cast

    1. cast image

      John Nesbitt

      Narrator (voice)

    2. cast image

      Shepperd Strudwick

      Dr. Semmelweis

    3. cast image

      Rudolph Anders

      Doctor (uncredited)

    4. cast image

      King Baggot

      Passerby (uncredited)

    5. cast image

      William Bailey

      Passerby (uncredited)

    6. cast image

      Barbara Bedford

      Nun Reading Book (uncredited)

    7. cast image

      Ralph Brooks

      Medical Student at Lecture (uncredited)

    8. cast image

      Mary Howard

      Young Stricken Mother (uncredited)

    9. cast image

      Leonard Penn

      Semmelweis' Assistant (uncredited)

    10. cast image

      Beatrice Roberts

      Passerby (uncredited)

    11. cast image

      Edward Van Sloan

      Hospital Chief of Staff (uncredited)

    12. cast image

      E. Alyn Warren

      Professor (uncredited)

    Social

    Review 1Discussion

    A review by CinemaSerf

    6
    Written by CinemaSerf on Sat Jun 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 hospitals and so instituted a culture of washing and sterilising. Though this had a profound effect on the mortality rates, his colleagues felt demeaned and embarrassed by his insi...

    Media

    Videos 0Backdrops 0Posters 2

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    Facts

    Status

    Released

    Original Language

    English

    Budget

    -

    Revenue

    -

    Keywords

    • infection
    • death in childbirth
    • washing hands
    • germs
    • maternity
    • child birth
    • sanitation