Extensive door-to-door enquiries are being carried out, in addition to extra police patrols, after a man was attacked in Dalkeith.
Officers are trying to understand the events which led up to the 25-year-old being found with injuries in Thorny Crooks Gardens at around 2.45pm on Wednesday.
He was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment and police enquiries are ongoing.
Officers do not believe he was attacked in the location he was found in.
A Police Scotland statement reads: "Detectives are continuing enquiries after a man was seriously assaulted in Dalkeith
"In an effort to establish the exact location of the attack, extensive door-to-door enquiries were carried out in the immediate area. CCTV footage from the surrounding areas is also being examined."
Detective Inspector Laura Dickson added: “We are in the process of piecing together the circumstances of what has happened.
"The man was helped by a member of the public in Thorny Crook Gardens, however, we don’t believe the attack took place there.
"I am appealing to members of the public to think back and consider if they saw anything which could assist our enquiries.
"I would also ask motorists with dash cams to check their images as they could have caught an image which could assist in our investigation.
"Any small piece of information could prove relevant in our enquiries so please do get in touch.
"Additional patrols will be in the area to provide reassurance to members of the public."
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1760 of 10 March, 2021.