This is the first of 2 episodes discussing the history of veterinary medicine with Dr Bruce Vivash Jones.  Bruce is a retired veterinarian, veterinary historian and author and has authored what is possibly the most complete account of the history of veterinary medicine published. In this first instalment, I discuss the origins of veterinary medicine as we know it, but we start some 4000 years ago with superstition, sacrifice and religion with a bit of the classical history on the side.