The story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a pioneer in medical hygiene who paid the price from colleagues who refused to believe him.The story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a pioneer in medical hygiene who paid the price from colleagues who refused to believe him.The story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a pioneer in medical hygiene who paid the price from colleagues who refused to believe him.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win total
Photos
John Nesbitt
- Narrator
- (voice)
Shepperd Strudwick
- Dr. Semmelweis
- (as Sheppard Strudwick)
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)
Edward Van Sloan
- Hospital Chief of Staff
- (uncredited)
E. Alyn Warren
- Professor
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhat the film fails to mention is that one major reason why Dr. Semmelweis' observations and methods were not believed by his colleagues was because he could not provide a theoretical explanation for them. Microbiology pioneer, Louis Pasteur's confirmation of the Germ Theory of Disease, which would provide that explanation, was still decades away during Semmelweis' lifetime.
- Quotes
Self - Narrator: Childbed fever. They have taught it, it merely comes from the air. That have taught it, it is there will of God. Yet, is it really the will of God, or the blindness of men?
- ConnectionsEdited into It Can't Be Done (1948)
- SoundtracksWaltz No. 15 in A-flat major Op. 39
(1865) (uncredited)
Written by Johannes Brahms
Variations in the score often
Featured review
Brilliant short
That Mothers Might Live (1938)
**** (out of 4)
Oscar winning short from director Fred Zinnemann (High Noon) tells the rather amazing story of Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, a physician who came up with a cure for Childbed Fever, which was a disease that would kill mothers soon after they gave birth. What was his amazing cure? To make doctors wash their hands before treating a patient. Semmelweis drove himself to an asylum trying to get his message of clean hands across but he wouldn't be held high until years after his death. Even though Zinnemann was young into his career here he shows signs that would turn up in later films like From Here to Eternity.
**** (out of 4)
Oscar winning short from director Fred Zinnemann (High Noon) tells the rather amazing story of Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, a physician who came up with a cure for Childbed Fever, which was a disease that would kill mothers soon after they gave birth. What was his amazing cure? To make doctors wash their hands before treating a patient. Semmelweis drove himself to an asylum trying to get his message of clean hands across but he wouldn't be held high until years after his death. Even though Zinnemann was young into his career here he shows signs that would turn up in later films like From Here to Eternity.
helpful•113
- Michael_Elliott
- Feb 25, 2008
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center - 1200 N. State Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(Opening exterior shot of hospital.)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime10 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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