Arluke, A. B. 1988. Sacrificial symbolism in animal experimentation: Object or pet? Anthrozo?s 2, 98-117.

Making animate creatures objects allows a denial of the interconnectedness between subject and object. ... The scientific necessity of research requires the objectification of animals so that they can be treated in ways that would be impossible if they were seen as fully animate [p. 100]. ... More than one person has reported that they prefer using a number to a name because it gives them more distance from the animals. Names are most likely to be used by those who spend substantial time with conscious animals and do not distance themselves as much as others [p. 101]. ... Scientists may never see their experimental animals; many principal investigators do not handle animals at all, although a few occasions may do surgery after the animal has been prepared fully by technicians [p. 104].