Robert Cialdini discusses how blind obedience to authority can lead people to do things that don't make sense (Influence, pp. 219-220):

A physician ordered ear drops to be administered to the right ear of a patient suffering pain and infection there. But instead of writing out completely the location "right ear" on the prescription, the doctor abbreviated it so that the instructions read "place in R ear." Upon receiving the prescription, the duty nurse promptly put the required number of ear drops into the patient's anus.

Amazing interview with Eike Koenig, a graphic designer in Berlin. It's wonderful to see people who really love what they do.