  The amount of screening of a proton in a metal, migrating under the influence
of an applied electric field, is calculated using different theoretical
formulations. First the lowest order screening expression derived by Sham
(1975) is evaluated. In addition 'exact' expressions are evaluated which were
derived according to different approaches. For a proton in a metal modeled as a
jellium the screening appears to be 15 +/- 10 %, which is neither negligible
not reconcilable with the controversial full-screening point of view of
Bosvieux and Friedel (1962). In reconsidering the theory of electromigration, a
new simplified linear-response expression for the driving force is shown to
lead to essentially the same result as found by Sorbello (1985), who has used a
rather complicated technique. The expressions allow for a reduction such that
only the scattering phase shifts of the migrating impurity are required.
Finally it is shown that the starting formula for the driving force of Bosvieux
and Friedel leads exactly to the zero-temperature limit of well-established
linear response descriptions, by which the sting of the controversy has been
removed.
