Anti Virus Mac

How do I select a file that I think has a strong chance of being infected. It is an e-mail from a friend who did not send it and believes his computer has been compromised. The e-mail is in my Mac Mail Inbox (version 2.1.3.)   [Operating system OS 10.4.11.]  I do not want to download it to desktop in order to select  it for fear of infection. Is there a way to directly scan the individual e-mail in the inbox to find out if there is a virus (and what it might be so I can tell my friend). Thank you very much.