A very personal view of the development of radiation shielding theory

Most research in radiation shielding has been project driven, aimed at providing answers important to the success of a specific type of facility or device. From the beginning, however, some attention has also been paid to fundamental shielding research - the study of how the radiation of interest penetrates through substantial thicknesses of matter. It is intended here to outline the history of theoretical shielding research of this nature, especially those developments in which the author has been either a participant or an interested spectator