Sham Controls
A sham control is used to mimic a procedure or treatment without the actual use of a sham control used in pharmaceutical studies (Spector 2002). Another example is the surgical implantation of "X" into the abdominal cavity. The treated animals would have X implanted, whereas the sham control animals would the same surgical procedure with the abdominal cavity opened, as with the treated animals, but without having the X implanted