Total cross sections and the nuclear matter distribution

In that paper, the following topics are addressed: Which features of the point-nucleon density zeta(r) can be determined from a measurement of a hadron-nucleus total cross section deltasub(T) or total reaction cross section deltasub(R). What are the problems in determining the r.m.s. radius. How does the elastic scattering differential cross section do/dΩ as a source of information compare to the observables deltasub(T) and deltasub(R). The simultaneous analysis of deltasub(R) for various projectiles and bombarding energies for one given target nucleus is emphasized. Finally, some thoughts are presented about possible future developments in the determination of zeta(r). (KBE)