'' 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
11th Academy Awards
11th Academy Awards
That Mothers Might Live