That Mothers Might Live is a 1938 American short drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann. It won an Academy Award in 1939 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.